Look what the cat developers dragged in

Cat + bucket = problem solved. (Image: GGRecon)

I think I speak for many cat-owning gamers–like myself–when I say that the latest release of the video game “Stray” was highly anticipated.

“Stray” is a third-person (or I guess third-cat) adventure game that follows a stray cat who falls into a dystopian cybercity and tries to reunite with his feline family. While this puzzle game follows a linear plot, it also has open-world elements which invite players to freely explore the in-game environments through the eyes of a city cat. 

And this endearing title has already captured the hearts of all kinds, as cats watch their owners see the world through their eyes.

A tail of two techies

The creation of “Stray” began as early as 2015, with former Ubisoft video game developers Koola and Viv working on the project when it was originally titled the “HK_Project.”

The project was founded on small beginnings, with the French duo whipping up animation studies using Unreal Engine 4, a real-time 3D creation tool used to create photoreal visuals and immersive experiences. The two would even occasionally update their small community of supporters with news on their devblog.

One of Koola and Viv’s platform sequences posted in August 2016

A year later, the two officially started their own company BlueTwelve Studio. And today, there are no more than 20 researchers, designers, and artists working at the studio, with more than half of them being cat owners.

Animating meowvment

The leading feline was based on one of the co-creators’ two cats, their orange tabby Murtaugh–who was an actual stray they found on the streets near the city of Montpellier, France under a car.

Unlike game developers like Supermassive Games which aim to accurately capture the likeness of their models, BlueTwelve Studio’s treatment of “Stray” opted against this design decision. 

“Stray” producer Swann Martin-Raget confirms, “Even though we knew that we weren’t aiming for a 100% precise representation, having a character that feels really believable, especially for cat owners who are so used to seeing their companion every day required a lot of work.” 

Koola and Viv did plenty of very subtle iterations on the appearance of the video game’s cat to truly capture the liveliness and playfulness of a cat. Capturing the cat’s likeness was half the battle, the other was animating movements to truly give the character life. 

3D animator Miko and cat programmer Rémi had to gather countless reference materials to encapsulate true feline movement, including office-resident cats Oscar and Jun. They worked tirelessly to find the perfect balance between remarkable animations and responsive gameplay.

The studio even paid attention to minute details that would amuse players, like adding a keybind that lets players meow on cue, perfecting tail animations, or making the executive decision to obscure the cat’s butthole during gameplay (you read that right).

The unique perspective of playing a cat also drove developers to get creative in terms of level design. Since cats are agile creatures, the typical obstacles that would be rendered to obstruct typical human characters made for the perfect platforming sequence for our feline protagonist.

The indie cat game is out of the bag

“Stray” has already peaked at 62,963 concurrent players, which is a pretty big deal for an indie title in large part thanks to publisher Annapurna Interactive who believed in the project’s success early on. On top of that, the video game is selling for $30 as opposed to the $70 standard price-point for AAA games (high-budget, high-profile games).

The future for immersive and visually-stunning indie video games is bright, as titles like “Stray” prove that indie games are capable of greatness and incurring a mass following. See the likes of “Hades,” “Among Us,” “Stardew Valley,” or “Minecraft,” which still stand the test of time–with some of these titles entirely created by a single developer.

What the creators of “Stray” lacked in manpower, they made up for in hours and efforts lovingly spent on this passion paw-ject (hehe). They’ve even partnered with rescue-animal organization Nebraska Humane Society and raised $7,000 for the shelter, which just goes to show how dedicated they are to both the craft and the cause.  

For an indie video game made by less than 20 people over a span of seven years with 5 to 11 hours worth of captivating gameplay under its belt, “Stray” finds a home in the hearts of many–as cat-loving gamers play next to their backseat-gaming fur-friends.