Stardew valley meets Mandalorian in this cozy sci-fi slice-of-life where you struggle to keep a space diner afloat, all while ensuring your dubious smuggler past doesn’t catch up with you.
Credits for image (concept art only—actual art has not been created for the game): spacegooose on artstation
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Hi there!
If you’re reading this post, then maybe you’re just as excited about the concept of Space Diner as I am!
If you’re following the blog, awesome! I’ll drop more updates when the project starts rolling! If you’re not, do drop me a DM on Tumblr (or email me at [email protected] if you’re interested in receiving an email when development on the game begins!)
Otherwise, hang tight, I’ll have time to start writing and coding the game soon—I’m hoping early 2026, once my other two IFs (@collegetennisoriginstory and @merrycrisis-if) are completed or closer to completion!
Position: Freelance 2D Pixel Artist
Project: Space Diner
Studio: Monsoon Games
Location: Remote
Compensation: Rev share, or Flat Fee (negotiable)
About the Game:
Space Diner is a cozy, narrative-driven sci-fi slice-of-life/ management game set against the unique setting of Jupiter’s second-largest moon. As the new owner of a space diner, you'll juggle various management tasks, cook meals, unlock new recipes, upgrade your equipment, and keep your establishment afloat. You'll get to know a diverse array of regulars, each with their own stories and relationships.
What I'm Looking For:
A talented 2D Pixel artist and animator who can bring the unique atmosphere of Callisto, the Space Diner, and its inhabitants to life. You should have a strong sense of character design, background art for world-building. A passion for sci-fi and/or cozy, slice-of-life games is definitely a plus!
The ideal artist would have experience working in stylized, colorful, striking pixel art, with a knack for creating memorable characters and rich environments that feel both alien and homey (á la Dave the Diner if you’ve played that!)
Most importantly, I’m looking for a long-term partner (well, not in the romantic sense)—not an employee or someone to commission. I want an artist who’ll be equally invested in the project.
If all this sounds good to you, please read on :)
Responsibilities:
Create character designs for recurring diner customers/main characters (with different emotions)
Create small character assets for a wide range of once-off diner customers or inhabitants of Callisto (miners, corporate lackies, rich tourists, environmentalists, explorers, spaceship crew etc.)
Design space diner interiors, props, and objects, such as kitchen equipment, furniture, and décor
Illustrate alien food dishes, menu items, ingredients and kitchen equipment for cooking and inventory system
Develop space-themed environments, including exterior and interior shots of Callisto's various key locations (e.g. main street, city centre, other locales)
Brainstorm art references, artistic styles
Create promotional artwork for social media, Kickstarter, and other marketing materials, including game thumbnails
Art Style:
The game has a cozy, warm, and slightly quirky art style with sci-fi elements. Think of a space-faring version of a classic diner, with a dash of whimsy and colorful alien customers. Inspiration could include a mix of retro-futurism, neon+dark color palettes.
Key Assets Required for the Game:
Character Art:
Recurring customers (10+ with varied backgrounds, human and alien designs)
Random walk-in customers (variety of races, body types, and personalities)
Main protagonist (the diner owner, 10-12 variations based on skin color, gender, build choices)
Food/Ingredients (meals/dishes for menu, ingredients)
Marketing Art:
Key art for promotional purposes (game thumbnail)
To Apply:
If you're excited about the idea of creating a cozy, narrative-driven world set in outer space and bringing a quirky, colorful cast of characters to life, I’d love to hear from you!
Please contact me at [email protected], or reach me on Tumblr or discord @allieebobo. As the game is still in its early stages of ideation, there is still room to discuss the scope, artistic style, and exact assets required!
Job Title: Part-Time Programmer
Project: Space Diner
Studio: Monsoon Games
Location: Remote
Job Type: Part-Time, Revenue Share or Flat rate (Negotiable)
About the Game: Space Diner is a cozy, narrative-driven sci-fi slice-of-life/ management game set against the unique setting of Jupiter’s second-largest moon. As the new owner of a space diner, you’ll juggle various management tasks, cook meals, unlock new recipes, upgrade your equipment, and keep your establishment afloat. You’ll get to know a diverse array of regulars, each with their own stories and relationships.
What We’re Looking For: We’re seeking a talented programmer who can bring Space Diner to life! You should have a strong sense of character design, background art for world-building. A passion for sci-fi and/or cozy, slice-of-life games is definitely a plus!
Our ideal programmer has experience working in a game programming language of their choice, is willing to communicate and brainstorm all aspects of the game design/gameplay mechanics to gradually take the game from its early-ideation stage to implementation.
Responsibilities:
Collaborate with the game designer/writer to implement gameplay mechanics and features.
Work with narrative designers to integrate story elements into gameplay.
Contribute to the development of cooking mini-games and customer interaction systems.
Participate in playtesting and provide feedback on game functionality, do debugging based on playtesting/beta-testing.
Requirements:
Proven experience in game development, proficient in game programming language of choice
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
Passion for storytelling and character-driven games.
Understanding of game mechanics and player experience.
If you’re excited about the idea of creating a cozy, narrative-driven world set in outer space and bringing a quirky, colorful cast of characters to life, we want to hear from you! Please contact me at [email protected], or reach me on discord @ allieebobo. As the game is still in its early stages of game design, there is still room to discuss the scope, gameplay mechanics/features, programming language (e.g. Twine, Godot, Unity) etc.
Monsoon Games is a small indie game studio that creates story-rich, character-driven games. We want our games to create a cozy space that feels like home - in all its varied and unexpected forms.
We are passionate about making games that tell diverse stories and experiences, feature strong, memorable characters, and most of all, create moments that are both heartwarming and thought-provoking.
Whether it’s exploring the rollercoaster of navigating life as a college varsity athlete (College Tennis: Origin Story), or the bittersweet struggle to figure out where 'home' is after a messy breakup (Merry Crisis) - or quietly carving out a new life as a diner-owner on a distant moon (Space Diner), our games invite players into rich, unique worlds full of colorful, diverse characters.
