It's not just humans who are into Stray. Cats seem to love it too.
From French developer BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive publishing, Stray is a new game out this week on PlayStations 4 and 5 and PC (through Steam) which allows you to play as a cat living in a dystopian, cyberpunk world.
One of the most anticipated games of the year (and, for that matter, the year before), the release has been generating a lot of interest around the ways you're rewarded by simply existing as a cat — meowing, sleeping, scratching furniture, knocking things off tables, getting severely into cardboard boxes, strutting across keyboards at inopportune times. And it's the game's appreciation of classic cat behaviour which has gamers finding their screens blocked by unlikely enthusiasts: their real cats.
Twitter account @CatsWatchStray is currently collating and retweeting a stream of photos and videos from Stray players whose cats can't seem to get enough of the game. They're pawing at the screen, immovably fixated. And it's an absolute delight to watch.
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Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)
Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab)
This clearly adorable reaction is down to Stray's attention to feline detail, how specifically it gets cat things right. As Mashable's Alex Perry writes in his review, "This game makes the most out of its material by fully grasping what it is that makes these enigmatic creatures so beloved as pets and internet icons."
It's the cutest (probably) accidental marketing campaign I've ever seen. I've reached out to Annapurna Interactive about it, and I'll update this story if I hear back.
So, now you've seen the Twitter account, read up on exactly why Stray absolutely nails what being a cat is all about.
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