Mega Cat Studios

Mega Cat Studios is an American video game development and publishing company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 2015 by James Deighan, Nick Mann and Zack Manko.

Mega Cat Studios
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2015 (2015)
Headquarters
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
,
U.S.
ProductsBite the Bullet
Number of employees
24
Websitemegacatstudios.com

Mega Cat develops and publishes games for modern platforms and VR, and is known for creating new hard copy games for golden-era video game consoles, such as the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo Entertainment System. The company also publishes physical releases for other retro developers, such as Old Towers by Retrosouls.[1]

History

Mega Cat was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by James Deighan, Nick Mann and Zack Manko in 2015; they, alongside Nathaniel Wilson, Andrew Marsh, and Lauri Coderbrah produced the studio's first game, Almost Hero, for the Nintendo Entertainment System, which generally received a positive reception.[2] A major element of their business model of publishing new video games for "retro systems" has involved including a physical manual and case for each of their releases.[3] Founder James Deighan says that the studio has sought to "recreate that experience of being in the back of your mom’s van coming back from Hills [a department store], opening up the game and reading the instruction manual on the way home." [4]

In 2017, Mega Cat published Coffee Crisis on the Sega Genesis. The game was their first to later receive a Windows port with enhanced features, such as additional modes, a procedurally generated roguelite modifier system, and improved graphics, and was later released on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.[5] The PC version of Coffee Crisis was published in conjunction with Zerouno Games.

To avoid having to bring in investors or otherwise raise funding early on in the studio's history, Mega Cat focused on a balancing contracted work for various brands while continuing work on their own IP.[6] The studio has done contract work for such clients as the Pittsburgh Pirates,[7] Devolver Digital,[8] and Columbia Records.[9]

The studio has run crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter for Coffee Crisis, Log Jammers[10] and Phantom Gear.[11] Prior to its crowdfunding campaign, Log Jammers had been an official selection of the 2018 Indie Megabooth and won both the "Best Gameplay" and "Game of the Year" award at Gameacon 2017.

A number of the studio's games were featured as part of the Indie Megabooth, including the aforementioned Log Jammers as well as Little Medusa, Coffee Crisis, and Fork Parker's Crunch Out.[12]

In 2020, ten of the studio's published games were included in a cartridge for the Evercade gaming system.[13]

Games Published
YearTitlePlatform(s)Developer(s)
2016 Almost Hero Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios
2016 Dushlan Nintendo Entertainment System Peter McQuillan
2017 Coffee Crisis Sega Genesis, Microsoft Windows Mega Cat Studios
2017 Log Jammers Nintendo Entertainment System, Microsoft Windows Mega Cat Studios
2017 Justice Duel Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios
2017 Mega Marble World Sega Genesis Mega Cat Studios
2018 Little Medusa Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis Mega Cat Studios
2018 Creepy Brawlers Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios
2018 Creeping it Real Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios
2018 Sitten Kitten Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios
2018 Expedition Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios
2018 Fork Parker's Crunch Out Super Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios, Devolver Digital
2019 Tänzer Sega Genesis Mikael Tillander
2019 Lucky Penguin Nintendo Entertainment System Lukasz Kur and Marcelo Barbosa
2019 Old Towers Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis Mega Cat Studios, Retrosouls
2019 Multidude Nintendo Entertainment System Retrosouls
2019 Super Painter Nintendo Entertainment System Retrosouls
2019 Machine Cave Nintendo Entertainment System Aeromangus
2019 Phantom Gear Sega Genesis Bits Rule Games
2019 Billionaire Banshee Nintendo Entertainment System Breaking Games
2020 Bite the Bullet Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Mega Cat Studios
2020 Lethal Wedding Sega Genesis, Nintendo Switch Mega Cat Studios
2020 Devwill Too MD Sega Genesis Manjana Team
2020 Arkagis Revolution Sega Genesis Sik
2020 Misplaced Sega Genesis Retrosouls
2020 Yazzie Sega Genesis Retrosouls
2020 GLUF Sega Genesis Retrosouls
2020 Another Reigny Day Microsoft Windows Mega Cat Studios
2020 Alpha King Microsoft Windows Mega Cat Studios
2020 The Meating Nintendo Entertainment System Mega Cat Studios
2020 Romeow & Julicat Sega Genesis Mega Cat Studios

References
  1. "Old Towers". Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  2. "Almost Hero (2016) The Well-Red Mage". November 30, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  3. "Mega Cat Brings Us on a Modern Nostalgia Trip! - Nerdy But Flirty". January 26, 2018.
  4. Addison, Rebecca (February 28, 2018). "Mega Cat Studios brings retro gaming into the 21st century - Gaming Issue - Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh City Paper". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  5. May, Andrew (August 15, 2018). "Retro couch brawler Coffee Crisis hits Xbox One - The Indie Game Website". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. Brinks, Melissa (August 29, 2018). "Mega Cat Studios Brings New Games To Classic Consoles With Style And Precision". Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  7. "The Pittsburgh Pirate - Mega Cat Games". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  8. Fingas, Jon (May 10, 2018). "'Fork Parker's Crunch Out' is an SNES game made for charity - Engadget". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  9. "Columbia Records: Old Town Road". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  10. Compendio, Chris (August 29, 2018). "Log Jammers, a Modern-Day NES Homage to Windjammers, to Have Kickstarter Campaign for Console Ports". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  11. Anthony, Sean (July 12, 2019). "New Sega Genesis platformer Phantom Gear hits Kickstarter on July 16th – GAMING TREND". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  12. "Retro Gaming and Fork Parker with Mega Cat at PAX West - Indie MEGABOOTH". August 22, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  13. "Mega Cat Studios - Collection 1 Cartridge - Evercade". Retrieved July 1, 2020.
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