🥐 Baking the Dream: Behind the Scenes of Animal Bakery Game with Developer Haojun

If you are on the hunt for your next cozy gaming obsession, Animal Bakery needs to be on your wishlist. At the time of publishing this article, this game is still being developed. While it looks like an adorable, relaxing pastry simulation on the surface, there is a wonderfully quirky and surprisingly chaotic, characters, storylines, and game tasks. We sat down with game creator Haojun, to chat about bringing this passion project to life. There is discussion about taking inspirations from TV shows to the very real struggles of solo game development and here is an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how Animal Bakery is being baked to perfection.
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Q. To start, could you introduce yourself? What inspired you to become a game developer? Haojun: My name is Haojun, and I’ve been working in the game industry as a game designer for about nine years now. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked on a variety of mobile and PC game projects—ranging from match-3 puzzles and city builders to educational math games. I started playing games when I was eight, and I’ve always loved them. After graduating from college, I had a few friends who were working on the League of Legends team in China. I got pretty jealous, to be honest, so I started sending out my resume to different game companies. After seven years of working on all kinds of projects, though, I began to feel frustrated—none of them were truly what I wanted to make. That’s when I decided it was time to create something I could genuinely call my own. Q. Animal Bakery has such a cute and adorable art style and cozy game play. How did you come up with the idea for this game?

Haojun: The idea for Animal Bakery came from a mix of inspiration. I was playing a game called Tavern Master, which reminded me of a childhood favorite of mine—Bakery. At the same time, I had a lot of discussions with friends about game concepts, and they recommended a Korean movie called Extreme Job. In the film, a group of undercover policemen open a fried chicken restaurant near a gang’s hideout to keep an eye on them, but they end up being surprisingly good at making chicken, and the place becomes a huge hit. That premise really stuck with me, and I thought it would be fun to apply a similar idea to a cozy bakery setting. Q. The game features an interesting variety of animal characters with unique personalities. I love Larry, the white dog. How did your team come up with these characters? Who is your favorite character you've created so far?

Haojun: Larry is a reflection of my own past career—I used to have no work-life balance, and I think a lot of people can relate to that. I wanted to create a character that captured that feeling. I’m also a big fan of American TV shows/movies, and some characters are definitely influenced by them. For example, there’s a little cat customer named April, inspired by April from Parks and Recreation, and a raccoon lawyer named Good Smallman, a nod to Better Call Saul. There are also references to The Godfather, Brickleberry, and Yakuza. The hippie rabbit is based on a Bilibili influencer who cooks on a small, messy street stall. Some characters came from friends’ suggestions, too. There’s a groundhog with eight different personas—but all of them are angry, which I find hilarious.

Larry's Profile is so cute (๑´>᎑<)~*

Q. Can you share some interesting behind the scenes stories that players may not realize happens during game development?

Haojun: We always seem to have our release dates collide with GTA6. Every time I postpone ours, GTA6 postpones theirs too—I like to think they’re trying to avoid Animal Bakery. (Just kidding!) Q. You've invited players to participate in playtests and share feedback. What has that experience been like for your team? Can you give some feedback examples you received that made a positive impact on Animal Bakery?

Haojun: I’ve joined a few indie game festivals, and it’s been incredibly valuable to watch players play the game in person. I could see exactly where they got stuck or confused, which helped me figure out where more guidance was needed. Hardcore simulation players also gave me useful feedback—some felt the game loop was too simple. That pushed me to make the mechanics deeper, like introducing a level-up "path" where players can choose which feature to unlock first. We also added a management feature that requires players to think strategically about which technology to research. Some of my favorite moments were when players laughed their tears out at the dialogue. Seeing them enjoy my silly jokes gave me so much encouragement to keep developing the game. Q. What has been one of the biggest obstacles your team has faced while creating Animal Bakery, and how did you work through it?

Haojun: I’m still struggling with the decision about whether to work with a publisher. A few publishers have approached me, but I haven’t made up my mind yet. I feel their revenue share is too high, and part of me thinks I could handle the publishing side myself. It really feels like a gamble, and I still haven’t fully figured out what the right move is.

Thought this was Family Mart for a second. ( ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ )

Q. Looking back on the development journey so far, what have been some memorable moments? What has been the most rewarding part?

Haojun: One of the most memorable moments was when we first joined a casual game fest on Steam, right after releasing the playtest. The game got a lot of exposure and saw strong daily growth in players. That really boosted my confidence and gave me the motivation to keep pushing forward. Q. Since the game is still in development, is there a feature you're especially excited for players to experience that you can tell us without giving too much away?

Haojun: I’ve designed different challenges for each chapter. I’m really excited for players to use baguettes to fight off robbers, and also to get involved in some shady transactions with junkie customers. It’s a lot of fun. Q. What advice would you give to aspiring indie game developers who are working on their first project?

Haojun: I'd say try not to rely too heavily on AI. It can be a helpful tool, but I don't think it can replace the heart of a game, especially when it comes to art style and storytelling. Put your own personality into it. If you go into it thinking "let me just make something quick and see what happens," it probably won't resonate with players. Q. Finally, is there anything that you would like to share that we haven't talked about?

Haojun: If Animal Bakery becomes profitable, I’d love to develop a DLC that lets players open a bakery in a beautiful new location—with coffee, afternoon tea, and multiple floors to expand into. That’s the dream.

Al the alpaca being a tough boss!! His dialogue are hilarious.  

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*Originally posted on Twitch Team Happy People Discord Server