The Mailroom transforms the monotony of sorting letters into something far more sinister… a slow descent into the eerie, the bizarre, and the unknown. On the surface, it’s a hands-on job sim about managing piles of correspondence in a gloomy, analogue workspace. But beneath the hum of old machinery and the hiss of pneumatic tubes, it seems like something else stirs. It’s a hell of a hook and something that had us instantly intrigued by the game.

With the game’s demo recently featured in Steam Scream, we sat down with John Watson, designer and programmer at developer Crowfriend, to talk about his fascination with forgotten technology, the delicate balance between horror and routine, and how a simple workplace setting became the gateway to something otherworldly.


What inspired you to make a game about working in a mailroom… and then turning that into something eerie and otherworldly?


I love old technology. Weird old machines, typewriters, stuff like that. I went down a rabbit hole learning about pneumatic tubes one day. Did you know pneumatic tubes were used to send mail between post offices in Manhattan and London (and other cities)? The London Pneumatic Despatch Company operated an underground system for carrying mail and freight in 1863. They had a system in Paris in use until 1984. I also have kind of a dark streak. I love dark comedy and things that are unsettling or creepy. Also, you know that movie Elf? How Buddy worked in the mailroom? So all this is stirring around in my head and one day I just woke up with the Mailroom idea. It all just kind of came together and this is the result.

The game mixes slow, hands-on work with mystery and tension. How did you keep both the simulation and horror parts fun and balanced?


Lots and lots of experimentation and playtesting. I put a lot of work into the pacing of the demo. Once the basic framework was in place I would play through it and put in different kinds of mail or special events at different points. Like, this bit is getting repetitive so let’s mix it up with something different. I kind of see the game in my head like a movie playing out and I wanted to have a good mix of activities to keep the player interested. I knew I wanted to create a few moments that scare the player and I wanted those moments to feel organic and natural. So there’s a variety of types of mail the player receives. And the work is punctuated by special events that give them something different to do. Tweaking all of that until it felt good. A lot of credit goes to my playtesters and my wife.

The game has multiple endings – how do player choices or actions in The Mailroom affect what happens, or aren’t you ready to dive into that sort of thing just yet?


I don’t want to give away too much but basically we’re going to discover that there’s a lot more going on in the mailroom than mail. When you think about Hell and the types of beings that inhabit it, there are a lot of possibilities. My goal is to give the player some choices that can lead to a few different satisfying endings depending on how they play. Again, thinking of Hell, imagine choices that allowed you to play in a way that emphasized your evil side vs your good side. What if your soul was at stake? What if there was a chance to do something amazing but it required sacrifice? I’m very excited about it.

A screenshot from the video game 'The Mailroom'
A screenshot from the video game 'The Mailroom'
A screenshot from the video game 'The Mailroom'

The environment feels like a character in itself. What was your approach to designing the space – both visually and in how players move through it?


I wanted to create a creepy environment so it’s kind of dark and quiet. But I also deliberately designed the building so that you can’t see all of it at once. Like, you can never see the elevator and the main desk at the same time – there’s literally a wall between them and you have to walk around that wall. You can never see the toilet and the machine room at the same time. That kind of thing. That means you’re always turning your back on something. You’re always making a choice to give attention to A instead of B. It gives the game an opportunity to make changes or do things that are out of the player’s view. It also makes it possible to have dramatic reveals like the first time the player walks into the mailroom and it opens up into a wider space. That’s been really important from the very start. I had to design it this way since the player is holding the camera but I wanted to give them a cinematic feeling.

It’s noted on the Steam page that it’s going to be a short game – how long do you expect the average playthrough of The Mailroom to last? I know there are multiple endings, but are there any other extras on offer that’ll encourage players to take that second shift in The Mailroom?


It’s hard to say since the game isn’t complete yet. But the main single-player story mode will be in the 2-3 hour range. I’m a solo dev with a short schedule so it’s better to make a really intense short experience than something longer but less polished. Since we released the demo I’ve heard from several people that they just really like sorting mail. We actually didn’t expect that but I get it. It’s relaxing. So we’re also planning an endless mode that allows you to just sort mail without any of the story. If we can we’ll add a scoreboard so you can compare your mail delivery performance with other players. I’d also like to add Twitch integration so you can play with your community and they can do things like make scary noises and turn off the lights and stuff like that.

A screenshot from the video game 'The Mailroom'
A screenshot from the video game 'The Mailroom'
A screenshot from the video game 'The Mailroom'

You’ve recently released a demo for The Mailroom as part of the Steam Scream, and after giving it a try myself, I’m excited to see more of the game. How has the response to the demo been and has any feedback shaped your development plans going forward?


Oh yes! Players do all kinds of unexpected things. It’s been great to watch people have fun with the game. Sometimes I’ll drop in on a live stream and talk with the streamer after they’ve beaten the demo. I think I’ve updated the demo almost every single day since it came out. Just a small tweak here or there to smooth over a rough edge or help players past a difficult part. On the first day I realized one particular puzzle was too challenging for the demo so I just removed it. We’ll bring it back later but with extra tutorial so it’s more fair.

When players finally get their hands on the game, what do you hope they walk away feeling or thinking about?


I’m an optimistic guy and I like happy endings. I’m really excited about the story and how the player interacts with the characters. Honestly, I want people to feel some strong emotions and have a good cry. I also want people to laugh so it’s got a good dose of comedy. I just hope I can pull it off.

Finally, can you tell us something cool about the game that nobody outside of the development team knows?


We call the voice on the intercom ‘Charlie’, a reference to the show Charlie’s Angels where the team would get their missions from a voice on a speakerphone.


You can wish list The Mailroom on Steam right now through this link – and don’t forget to check out the game’s demo!