During The Game Awards 2024, developer SuperAuthenti announced Catly, a virtual pet simulator where players take care of strange and colorful cats.

Reception to the trailer was considerably less positive compared to the show’s other announcements, as many viewers accused the trailer of being AI generated. Furthermore, some digging into the studio revealed that its co-founder was heavily involved in blockchain games, leading to speculation that Catly could be an NFT game with AI generated cats. The use of generative AI and NFTs in gaming has been a hot button topic amongst gamers, with many believing that it has no place in the hobby.

In response to these accusations, a statement was issued to IGN from a SuperAuthenti PR representative. The statement claims that no AI generation was used in the trailer, nor are there any blockchain or NFT elements present in Catly. The developers were reportedly “very surprised” by the accusations, and that they “do not think there are any existing AI tools that can produce a video like that”.

Catly is planned to release for Switch and other platforms sometime in the future.

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