‘Catly’ Creator Sets the Record Straight: No AI, Blockchain, or NFTs in the Game

During this year’s Game Awards, a trailer for ‘Catly,’ an upcoming game revolving around cats (?) caused quite a stir, with many gamers doubting the game is real in the first place. A trailer for ‘Catly’ showed lifelike cats in different settings, with a human character appearing at the end. The trailer didn’t explain what kind of game it is or how it works, but it did announce that ‘Catly’ would be available on Steam and Nintendo Switch.

After the reveal, people checked out the ‘Catly’ page on Steam and found some strange details. The game description was a list of random words like “cuddle,” “snow,” “plants,” and “speed,” ending with “all with and via Cats,” which confused many about what the game is really about.

Some viewers also wondered if the game’s visuals were made using AI. They noticed certain images on the Steam page had features often linked to AI-generated content, like odd lighting and inconsistent textures.

But, the rabbit hole goes even deeper. A Reddit user named r/Nat-Chem discovered that the creator of ‘Catly,’ Kevin Yeung, has ties to AI, NFTs, and blockchain gaming. Yeung co-founded TenthPlanet, a studio that worked on blockchain games like ‘Alien Meow,’ which is about a “digital cat metaverse,” similar to ‘Catly.’

This sparked frustration among gamers, especially after popular streamers like Ninja and Pokimane promoted the game. Many criticized ‘Catly’ as being AI-generated and not a real game, with some accusing influencers of promoting it for money.

Now developers decided to defend themselves against all these overwhelming accusations. A spokesperson for SuperAuthenti, the developer of ‘Catly,’ denied using AI to create the game’s trailer or the game itself. They were surprised by the rumors and said that industry experts agreed AI couldn’t produce a trailer like the one shown.

They also clarified that ‘Catly’ has no connection to blockchain or NFTs, stating that the company has never used blockchain technology or issued NFTs.

We do not think there are any existing AI tools that can produce a video like that. Industry experts have echoed this opinion.

The PR representative shared a version of the trailer from The Game Awards, showing behind-the-scenes shots that confirmed no AI was used in the trailer’s production. They also denied claims that ‘Catly’ is a blockchain game, stating that no blockchain technology or NFTs are involved in the game or the company, IGN reports.

The statement confirmed that ‘Catly’ is being made in Unreal Engine 5 and uses various software to create realistic fur and hair. Despite the trailer being legitimate, there are still concerns regarding ‘Catly’s’ weird Steam page and weird promo images. IGN reached out to SuperAuthenti about both the trailer and the images and the spokesperson failed to comment on the additional promotional images used, which sparked the suspicion in the first place.

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