Patattie Games Announce Wax Heads Publishing Deal

Going back to ye ‘old year of 1994, by way of 2024, this year’s Wholesome Direct gave us a look at the first game from Patattie Games, Wax Heads. Very much someone’s prototypical idea of teenagers thinking the 1980s were “just so radical my dudes” thanks to things like Stranger Things, the cozy-punk slice-of-life sim sets you up as the manager of a small independent record store. Let’s be honest, no one goes to HMV anymore anyway, the hipsters will still be into vinyl, Tamagotchi, and Poggs by the release.

Following the announcement of Wax Heads earlier this year and a featured spot in the summer Wholesome Direct, the studio announced Friday that it has a publishing deal with Curve Games. “Curve Games, a leading publisher in the video games industry, is thrilled to announce a new publishing partnership with Patattie Games for their highly anticipated title, Wax Heads,” the press release excitedly notes. It goes on to say, “This collaboration brings together Curve Games’ expertise in game publishing and Patattie Games’ unique creative vision, with the aim of delivering an unforgettable gaming experience to audiences worldwide.

Wax Heads is a lovingly handcrafted narrative sim where players recommend just the right record for every eccentric customer at Repeater Records. Combining charming puzzles and minigames, punchy dialogue[,] and a gorgeous comic book art style, Wax Heads tells an emotional and uplifting story set to a toe-tapping original soundtrack.“

Curve Games COO, Bradley Crooks, said of the announcement: “At Curve Games, we are always looking for projects that push creative boundaries and offer something fresh to players. Wax Heads is a fantastic addition to our portfolio, and we believe it will resonate with our audience. Patattie Games has crafted something truly special, and we’re thrilled to bring their vision to gamers everywhere.”

While Rothio Tome and Murray Somerwolff of Patattie Games say: “We’re so excited to be working with Curve Games, they understand our deep love for making a game about music lovers, bands, records[,] and the messy stories in between. Wax Heads is a game with [the] community at its heart, and now, with the Curve team behind us, just like our eccentric patrons of Repeater Records, we feel like anything is possible. Plus what do records need…? Curves! So it just made sense.“

Now, for the disappointment. Yes, as much as I’ll be snippety to hipsters, I’m excited for Wax Heads, but we won’t be getting the release date anytime soon. According to the press release, “Wax Heads is scheduled for release in 2026.” So at least another year before we see release, but as I think I’ll always say, I’d rather a game were given the time to be good and perform well than try to meet an unrealistic goal that doesn’t meet anyone’s expectations. Though, you can currently check out the demo available for Wax Heads on Steam in the meanwhile.