It’s Halloween and one indie game developer has already received quite a scare. UK developer Jacob Shaw recently wrapped up a successful Kickstarter campaign for The Store is Closed, a survival game in which you are trapped in a massive furniture store – either alone or with friends – and must find a way out. You’ll want to avoid the staff, especially at night when their aggression ramps up, and steer clear of managers at all cost. Everything in the store is destructible. Furniture can be rearranged to erect bases or broken down into raw materials and used to craft weapons. Good thing there are on-site cafeterias because you will need sustenance to keep your strength up. As you progress, you’ll build more elaborate fortresses. Don’t forget to look up, as there are “strange departments” situated high above the showroom floor that can only be accessed by constructing tall towers. There’s also a mysterious organization called the SCP Foundation that is investigating the store. If you can break into their labs, perhaps you can learn more about what’s really going on and find a way out. In a letter viewed by Kotaku, Ikea’s lawyers said their client has learned Shaw is developing a game that uses indicia associated with the popular furniture chain. When contacted for comment by Polygon, Ikea issued the following statement. The Store is Closed has managed to raise more than $61,000 in funding from 1,350 backers as of this writing with three days remaining. The initial goal was just $11,605. A pledge of around $20 (£17, to be exact) will secure you a key for a full copy of the game on Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 or PC. It is expected to ship into PC early access in the third quarter of 2024. We wish the creator of the game the best of luck!
