The unassuming early entry Quest recreation I Am Cat has taken off in a matter of months, spreading virally via social media with movies of its feline antics. We reached out to the developer New Folder Video games to study extra about its recipe for fulfillment.
I Am Cat, developed by New Folder Video games, is a Quest recreation that’s discovered important success regardless of nonetheless being in Early Entry (previously ‘App Lab’). After only a 12 months in improvement and fewer than 5 months of availability in Early Entry, the $15 recreation has amassed practically 40,000 person critiques with a mean ranking of 4.9 out of 5 stars.
That places it far forward—in each variety of scores and assessment rating—of massive funds releases like Murderer’s Creed Nexus VR (3.9K critiques, 4.3 rating), Resident Evil 4 VR (12K critiques, 4.7 rating), Asgard’s Wrath II (4.8K critiques, 4.2 rating), and many extra.
The sport’s fast progress is seemingly because of sturdy viral momentum pushed by its novel and considerably comedic role-play gameplay. You possibly can simply discover particular person movies of the sport with thousands and thousands or tens of thousands and thousands of views on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The sport can be one other instance of the rising development (and obvious demand) for VR video games with arm-based locomotion.
I Am Cat isn’t the studio’s solely profitable venture. Its two different notable video games, each launched inside months of I Am Cat, have additionally discovered moderately sturdy traction and excessive scores.
I Am Safety (additionally in Early Entry) boasts 12K critiques and a rating of 4.8 out of 5, whereas Titans Clinic has a good 5K critiques and a rating of 4.8.
Having one extremely profitable and two moderately profitable Quest video games launched in the identical 12 months is a powerful argument that I Am Cat’s attract is greater than only a fluke—this studio has a transparent perception into what a piece of Quest customers are in search of and has created a repeatable technique for delivering it.
Nevertheless it took a number of experimentation to get there. If there’s one factor that clearly defines New Folder Video games up up to now, it’s the studio’s capability to quickly experiment. The aforementioned titles are simply three of 9 (sure 9) Quest video games the studio has launched within the final 12 months… many within the identical month:
Many of the video games from the studio are constructed round pretty ‘wacky’ premises that run counter to what you would possibly assume VR avid gamers can be in search of. Nevertheless it appears I Am Cat—the one one of many bunch that has gamers enjoying from an explicitly non-human perspective—is the one which’s resonated essentially the most. Maybe as a result of gamers are aware of how cats behave, however are uniquely intrigued by the chance to see and work together with the world via their eyes—in a comedic, slapstick sort of manner, anyway.
So how did New Folder Video games get right here and the place is it headed?
The studio tells Highway to VR that New Folder Video games was based in Cyprus in 2019 and employs round 15 individuals, many working remotely.
“The concept for I Am Cat got here from our love for pets, particularly cats—every staff member owns a cat. Throughout a name, considered one of our staff members stated, ‘What if I had been a cat in VR? And as a substitute of a hand, it might be a paw’—and growth, every thing got here collectively,” the studio says.
Growth on I Am Cat began in Q1 2023. Nearly a 12 months later, the sport was launched in Early Entry. 5 months after the launch, the sport has amassed extra critiques than the overwhelming majority of different Quest titles.
“We consider the important thing to I Am Cat’s reputation is individuals’s love for pets, significantly cats. Moreover, there aren’t many enjoyable VR video games, which makes it stand out,” the studio stated matter-of-factly.
As for the way forward for the sport? The studio plans so as to add extra content material forward of its full launch on the finish of 2024.
“We plan to launch the complete recreation round December 2024, with further areas, mechanics, quests, and characters. We’ll proceed to assist the sport with new content material and a few thrilling stuff. Our imaginative and prescient for the 1.0 launch is a extremely polished recreation full of wealthy content material for gamers to get pleasure from.”
Proper now I Am Cat is simply accessible on Quest, however the studio says it plans to launch the sport on Steam, PSVR 2, and Imaginative and prescient Professional as properly.
Though I Am Cat appears to be the studio’s highest precedence, the subsequently launched I Am Safety can be gaining traction and the studio says it’s persevering with improvement on that recreation, along with work on a “new secret venture.”
Whereas these two titles and the unannounced venture have the studio’s consideration for now, New Folder Video games tells Highway to VR we could not have seen the final of its fast prototyping technique.
“Proper now, nearly everyone seems to be engaged on the I Am Cat title. Nonetheless, there’s nonetheless an opportunity we would cut up up [into groups] and launch one other 9 titles in a single 12 months!” the studio says.
