Elscar Games Brings Back Cozy Online Worlds with Foxo — Steam Wishlist Now Live!
Elscar Games AB, a game studio based in Gothenburg, is on a mission to revive the cozy online spaces of the early 2000s with their debut game, Foxo. Back when titles like Neopets, Habbo Hotel, and Club Penguin ruled the web, social games were warm, playful, and full of character. Foxo aims to bring that hangout-driven genre into the future.
“There’s been a gap in the market ever since games like Club Penguin faded away,” says Oscar Rickett, co-founder of Elscar Games. “Those playful, personal online spaces meant a lot to people. We didn’t see anyone filling that space, so we decided to.”
Elscar Games was founded in December 2023 by Oscar Rickett and Elin Hage. After working together at another Gothenburg-based studio and winning every game jam they entered as a team, they realized their creative energy could go much further. Oscar and Elin, who are also partners in real life, founded Elscar Games after years of working together creatively.
Oscar is the studio’s artist, while Elin handles the programming, a reversal of the typical game dev gender stereotype. They also collaborate with Anna Sanders, who supports animation.
Oscar brings industry experience from EA Games, Microsoft, and Frontier Developments, while Elin studied game development at Uppsala University’s Gotland campus. Together, they’ve released several web games, but Foxo marks their first commercial title under their own label.
Elin Hage and Oscar Rickett, Elscar Games.
Supported by Sweden Game Startup
Elscar Games is supported by the startup program, Sweden Game Startup. Oscar shares:
“We are incredibly grateful to Kristina and the Sweden Game Startup coaches. Making a production-ready video game is a monumental task, and the coaching, feedback, and advice we’ve received from them has pushed us further than I ever imagined. We certainly wouldn’t be in this position without their support.”
What is Foxo?
Foxo is a cozy multiplayer online world where everyone is a fox. Players can:
- Play minigames like fishing, downhill racing, and treasure hunting
- Customize their fox avatar with clothing, accessories, and colors
- Decorate and expand their personal dens
- Hang out with friends in shared online spaces
The game is launching first as a premium title on Steam for PC, and is available to wishlist now. The core audience is cozy gamers aged 18–25.
Elscar Games has presented Foxo at the Sweden Game Conference two years in a row, first with an early prototype, then with a more refined vertical slice. Private playtests are already underway via Discord, with more minigames and explorable areas planned for an upcoming early access release. Players interested in joining the playtests can join the Discord channel via foxogame.com.
The Cozy Game Revolution
Since the pandemic, interest in “cozy games” has grown dramatically. Players are seeking out titles that offer low-stress, relaxing gameplay in welcoming environments and Foxo looks to fit into that trend.
What was once just a vibe now has a name and cozy games are now one of the most sought-after categories in indie development.
Looking Ahead
With the Steam page now live, Elscar Games is focused on growing Foxo into a joyful, warm, and playful world. The game is currently being self-published, but the team is open to partnerships that can help scale the project especially to new platforms.
Find out more on their website and Steam page.
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