Catly Developer Clarifies No Use of Generative AI or Blockchain in Their Open-World Cat Adventure
The creator of Catly, a sandbox cat game showcased at last week’s Game Awards, has refuted the use of generative AI for the game’s trailer or for the game itself.
The game is set for release across platforms including Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Apple Vision, and its trailer features a series of ultra-realistic cats that quickly raised questions as viewers speculated that generative AI was employed.
As of now, Reddit users have pointed out several anomalies and alleged signs of AI-generated artwork on the game’s website, some of which have reportedly been taken down. Additionally, commenters have indicated that the developer has connections to blockchain gaming and NFTs, which they have now also denied.
A statement from a public relations representative for Catly’s developer, SuperAuthenti, shared with IGN and Game Developer, asserted that generative AI had not been utilized for the trailer or the game. “In fact, we are genuinely astonished by such conjectures,” the statement declares. “We do not believe there are any current AI tools capable of producing a video like that. Industry professionals have echoed this sentiment.”
Both outlets were presented with behind-the-scenes images of the trailer from The Game Awards, which seemed to confirm that the trailer was not AI-generated.
One of the co-founders of SuperAuthenti is Kevin Yeung, who also established TenthPlanet, a studio reportedly engaged in two blockchain games. One of these projects is Alien Mews, a digital cat life simulation developed in Unreal Engine 5 that bears similarity to Catly. Reddit users have also referenced a previous game released by SuperAuthenti called Plantly: Aware Gardening, which appears to have utilized blockchain technology but has since been removed from the internet.
Catly’s Steam webpage also features a testimonial from League of Legends and Arcane producer Thomas Vu, a notable web3 investor.
Another testimonial comes from Ben Brode, game director of Hearthstone, who responded on BlueSky, stating he had seen 20 minutes of gameplay and “thought it looked impressive so they asked me for a quote”, adding “it looks realistic enough to me; the cats appeared wild.”
As reported by Game Developer, SuperAuthenti did not address any business affiliations but clarified that “Catly is not a blockchain game” and “there are no NFTs.” The statement went on: “Our company/project has never issued any blockchain currency or any NFTs. Our company does not and has never possessed any blockchain currency or NFTs.”
SuperAuthenti also confirmed to IGN that Catly has been developed using Unreal Engine 5, with “various software” utilized to create hyperrealistic hair and fur.
What is evidently clear is that the prevalence of AI in the gaming industry complicates distinguishing between what is AI-generated and what is handcrafted.
AI is fundamentally altering video game development, with its usage becoming commonplace across animation, scriptwriting, voice acting, and more.
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