Planted! began with a question about turning gardening into a competitive game, according to creative producer Ben Cawthorne. In a new interview published on November 1, the Cloth Cat Games developer explained how a four-player local prototype developed into a project with online multiplayer.
Speaking to Deadline, Cawthorne said the team first found the appeal in having four people compete together on the same couch. Adding online play became a major technical commitment as the studio looked beyond groups able to gather in one room.
The basic routine remains recognizable: claim some ground, plant crops and help them grow. The competition comes from what happens to the harvest. Players can throw produce, interfere with opponents and try to turn their efforts into the highest score.
Cawthorne also described how arena layouts create trade-offs. A patch close to water can make growing easier while leaving a longer journey to the selling area. Other positions offer different advantages, with fertilizer, seeds and power-ups adding more decisions. The aim is to support both productive gardeners and players who prefer stealing or sabotage.
Cloth Cat's official overview lists local and online multiplayer, cross-play between PC and consoles, and a single-player campaign. Its platform schedule covers PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with a Nintendo Switch version planned for early 2027. The newly published interview focuses on the design behind those competing gardens rather than announcing a new release date.
Image: © Cloth Cat Ltd 2026. Published by Curveball Games.
