The Art of Capturing Cats: Insights from the Stray Producer on Distinction and Finding Balance

Stray unexpectedly captured everyone’s attention when it first pounced onto PlayStation systems in 2022. This cyberpunk platformer, where you embody an adorable feline, not only looked charming but also turned out to be surprisingly emotional. Was it genuinely enjoyable to play? And did it (un)intentionally cause real-life cats in the vicinity to go wild? We certainly didn’t see that coming.

Things escalated quite quickly, with the cat platformer (catformer?) earning nominations at nearly every awards show imaginable. It even snagged some major awards, including Best Indie Game at The Game Awards. After making its way onto Xbox last year, we figured it was only a matter of time before the lovable kitty found its way to Switch. And indeed, it did. Stray gracefully made an appearance in the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, with a release date of November 19th soon announced.