Sheffield, UK, 8 June 2026 – Secret Mode, the independent UK publisher behind Escape the Backrooms, has today announced a new free content update for NUTMEG! will launch on Thursday 11 June. This new update includes a League Cup, World Championship Matches, new Gaffer Mode, and a delegated XI selection clipboard, alongside bug fixes and improvements.
Watch the new NUTMEG! League Cup trailer here.
The League Cup, known as the Egg Cup in-game, sees 56 teams compete to lift silverware during 7 knockout matches throughout the course of a season. Cup matches are the bedrock for forging iconic rivalries, and losing cup matches will result in taunts and mockery from your opponents. But win, and you will achieve bragging rights as you bask in glory over your rivals.
Additionally, to celebrate the start of the 2026 World Cup, NUTMEG! Is adding five World Championship matches. These are based on historic world cup encounters, like England v Argentina in 1986, or fantasy encounters exploring ‘what if’ scenarios, including England v Argentina 1990.
The update also includes a new Gaffer Mode, which tightens the strings on finance, increases the length and difficulty of broadcasted matches, and creates extra hurdles for you to overcome. Additionally, a delegated XI selection clipboard gives you greater control of who plays during delegated matches by allowing you to create your dream team for every match.
These new content features launch alongside a host of bug fixes and quality of life improvements.
NUTMEG! - A Game of Two Halves
In NUTMEG!, become the gaffer of your favourite football team and embark on a 20-year journey through the English football Divisions during the ‘80s and ‘90s, with a deckbuilding twist.
Combine and generate cards through training session to develop new tactics, and transfer players to build a deck of football legends that even Bob Paisley would be proud of. From your seat in the manager’s office, you will also need to close sponsorship deals, set salaries, adjust ticket prices… not to mention navigate tricky calls from the media fishing for the latest scoop! Then head onto the pitch, where the footballing action plays out as fast-paced card battles. Remember, a well-played card can shift the odds in your favour and put one in the back of the net.
Key gameplay features in NUTMEG! include:
- Scrap for every place as you climb to the top of four Divisions
- Transfer in legendary players, and scout and develop youth talent to find the next Ian Rush
- Route one? Tiki-taka? Counter-attacking? Refine skills and strategies in training to earn extra card packs and humble your opponents
- Channel your inner Clough and run the entire club from your desk – from finances and hiring and firing backroom staff, right down to the weekly press junket
- Unlock new clubs each season and decide whether you’ll be a journeyman manager, or a one-club hero.
Published by Secret Mode, NUTMEG! was developed by the Sumo Digital Academy, alongside Sumo Sheffield. The game launched on Steam in March 2026.
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About Secret Mode
Secret Mode is an independent publisher and the winner of the MCV/Develop Indie Publisher of the Year 2025 award, Ukie Best UK Publisher 2024 award, and the Debug Indie Game Best Influencer Marketing 2025 award. Our titles include triple-BAFTA-winner Still Wakes the Deep, A Little to the Left, Wobbledogs, Loddlenaut, and Empyreal. We believe that games are for everyone, and that creativity has no limits. We believe quality and fun are everything.
About Sumo Sheffield
Founded in 2003, Sumo Sheffield was the first of Sumo Digital’s studios. Firmly established as the premium development partner of leading publishers, the studio is trusted to deliver high quality games associated with some of the most iconic and valued properties in the industry, or by generating innovative new IP. With a highly skilled body of over 300 developers the studio works across all platforms, on a selection of AAA games covering multiple genres including Sports, FPS, and platform adventure.
About Sumo Academy
Founded in 2020, the Sumo Academy is a talent development programme creating new pathways into the games industry in the form of the Level 7 Game Programming Apprenticeship. Rated “Outstanding” by Ofsted, the Academy teaching team has over 100 combined years of game development experience, but they still can’t beat the apprentice’s high score on Zool.