Pie-rates
Pie-rates is a lighthearted cooking and dating simulator set on a pirate ship. After being rescued from a shipwreck, the player is forced to take over the galley and cook for a rough pirate crew. With the help of the ghost of the former cook, they must prepare meals and win the pirates’ hearts to avoid being thrown overboard.
Project
Date
Role
Team​
Engine
Videogame
Aug. 2024 - Nov. 2025
Projectmanager
10 People
Unreal 5
Pre Production
I was invited to join the bachelor team as the producer, where I set up a regular structure for meetings and task tracking.
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At the time, all team members were working full-time internships, so most of the early work focused on developing the prototype rather than full production.
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During this phase, the concept also shifted from a stressful Overcooked-style game to a more cozy experience.
Production
Development
Throughout development we kept our regular meetings, with a strong focus on problem solving and keeping the project moving.
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Regular playtesting sessions were especially important for shaping the gameplay.
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Since the team lacked someone with strong game design experience, the sound design team ended up playing a big role in exploring and refining the game’s systems and player experience.
Challenges
The project did not reach the level of completion the team originally aimed for, mainly because the individual requirements of the different study programs turned out to be more demanding than expected.
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To still deliver a playable result within the available time, we decided to focus on the cooking minigames and food preparation, while treating the romance elements as a secondary feature.
