Shroom and Gloom Guide
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Who made Shroom and Gloom?

A small Cape Town studio that calls itself a game band, a game jam in 2021, and a free prototype that got enough attention to bring publishers calling.

Shroom and Gloom - Dev Intro TrailerTeam Lazerbeam on YouTube
Developer
Team Lazerbeam, Cape Town, South Africa
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Origin
The 7 day FPS game jam, December 2021
Engine
Unity 2022.3.62f3, as NiaMeowDB lists it from the game files

From game jam to Devolver

  1. A week-long jam, December 2021. “Shroom and Gloom was born in December 2021, at the 7 day FPS jam.” Ben from Team Lazerbeam made it with his friend Evan of Free Lives. Their rule: “Everything had to be a card.” From Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: We did it! Shroom and Gloom Prototype is here!, 13 September 2024
  2. Shelved. After roughly ten days of work in total, the team went back to its main games, and Shroom and Gloom sat on the shelf apart from occasional small jams, according to the same devlog.
  3. A prototype, 2024. As work on Wrestling With Emotions 2 wound down, Free Lives offered to support a prototype. A month-long art test came first, then three months of prototyping, and the free prototype went up on itch.io in September 2024 (told in Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: We did it! Shroom and Gloom Prototype is here!, 13 September 2024).
  4. Going full game. By Halloween 2024 the studio announced it would turn the prototype into a full game, with Free Lives funding development (announced in Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: Will Shroom and Gloom Live Or Die? Our Monster Halloween Update!, 31 October 2024).
  5. Devolver signs on. “We were approached by a bunch of publishers, ultimately teamed up with Devolver Digital, and the game quickly went into full development.” from Steam announcement: Release Date Reveal! Shroom and Gloom Aug Dev Log!, 22 August 2026
  6. Steam, May 2025. The Steam page, the free demo and the Devolver partnership were all announced together. The studio says it had self-published every game it released before this (in Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: Shroom and Gloom drops new demo, announce Devolver as publisher, bursts onto Steam! May 2025, 27 May 2025).
  7. Early Access, 2026. The game launched on Steam with two pathways and five characters; the release date page has the full calendar.

Why Devolver

In the post announcing the deal, the studio says it met every publisher that asked after the prototype took off and picked Devolver because a band like theirs wanted a publisher that feels like an indie rock label. It also says the deal left the studio in charge of how the game is presented, down to making the key art and trailers in-house (in Steam announcement: Celebrating our first person roguelike deckbuilder hitting Steam!, 15 May 2025). The official game page is on Devolver Digital’s site.

The people you’ll see named

Ben

Writes many of the devlogs and drew the enemies for the prototype. He introduces himself as “Team Lazerbeam’s head of scribbles and bad ideas” in Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: We did it! Shroom and Gloom Prototype is here!, 13 September 2024.

Ross

Engineered the rebuilt prototype’s foundations, according to the same devlog.

Kelly

Joined full time on programming in early 2025 (announced in Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: It's all happening! Shroom and gloom Devlog Mar 2025., 28 March 2025) and updated the codebase so the game could be translated (credited in Steam announcement: Next Fest Demo! 200K Wishlists! Localization announcement!, 16 June 2026).

Evan, Free Lives

Co-created the 2021 jam version. Free Lives backed the prototype and then development.

The studio isn’t looking for extra hands on this game. Its pinned Steam FAQ answers offers of help with “No thanks! Our team is small, but awesome and complete.” from Steam discussion: FAQs here!!, 10 September 2026 In its end-of-2025 dev log it looked back on “the biggest year in our 11 years of making games together” and mentioned two new members joining the band in Steam announcement: Award win & insane booth at Playtopia Fest! Dec 2025 Shroom and Gloom Dev Log, 17 December 2025.

Where the studio works, and what else it made

In 2025, after a decade of working from home, the team moved into an office at the Maker’s Massive, a shared space for Cape Town game developers (described in Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: It's all happening! Shroom and gloom Devlog Mar 2025., 28 March 2025). Before Shroom and Gloom its games included Wrestling With Emotions 2 and the Snow Cones micro games, which the team gave away free for Valentine’s Day 2026 (mentioned in Steam announcement: We hit 150k Wishlists! Shroom and Gloom - Feb '26 Dev Log!, 13 February 2026). At Playtopia 2025, an indie games festival the team has shown games at since it started in 2018, Shroom and Gloom won the Audience Choice Award (celebrated in Steam announcement: Award win & insane booth at Playtopia Fest! Dec 2025 Shroom and Gloom Dev Log, 17 December 2025).

What engine is Shroom and Gloom made in?

NiaMeowDB lists Unity 2022.3.62f3, read from the game files, on its build status page. The developers have not published an engine version for Early Access. What they did write about is the 2024 prototype, which they rebuilt from scratch: “we created another fresh Unity project - the Shroom and Gloom prototype!” from Team Lazerbeam devlog on itch.io: We did it! Shroom and Gloom Prototype is here!, 13 September 2024

Follow the studio

  • Community: the Discord, Steam discussions and where the developers answer.
  • Updates: every dev log from the itch.io prototype to Early Access.
  • Team Lazerbeam on Steam: the developer page the team set up in 2026.