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Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Video games |
Founded | 2015 |
Headquarters | , United States |
Products | Bite the Bullet |
Number of employees | 24 |
Website | megacatstudios |
Mega Cat Studios is an American video game development and publishing company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 2015 by James Deighan, Nick Mann, and Zack Manko.
Mega Cat develops and publishes games for computers, consoles, virtual reality, and physical copy games for 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]
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 February 2017, Mega Cat published Coffee Crisis for the Sega Genesis. [5] 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. [6] The Windows 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. [7] The studio has done contract work for such clients as the Pittsburgh Pirates, [8] Devolver Digital, [9] and Columbia Records. [10]
The studio has run crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter for Coffee Crisis , Log Jammers [11] and Phantom Gear. [12] Prior to its crowdfunding campaign, Log Jammers had been an official selection of the 2018 Indie Megabooth and won both the "Best Digital Game Play" and the "Digital Game of the Year" award at Gameacon 2017. [13]
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. [14]
In 2020, ten of the studio's published games were included in a cartridge for the Evercade gaming system. [15]
In 2024, it was announced that Mega Cat Studios is collaborating with Playground Productions in rebooting the Backyard Sports franchise, which was originally created by Humongous Entertainment. [16] Various projects for the franchise have been announced, such as rereleases of several early Backyard Sports titles and a new untitled game, which is stated to include updated features for a new generation of gamers while keeping the feel of the original games. [17]
The Sega CD, known as Mega-CD in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. Originally released in November 1991, it came to North America in late 1992, and the rest of the world in 1993. The Sega CD plays CD-based games and adds hardware functionality such as a faster CPU and a custom graphics chip for enhanced sprite scaling and rotation. It can also play audio CDs and CD+G discs.
Zero Wing is a 1989 side-scrolling shooter arcade video game developed by Toaplan and originally published in Japan by Namco and in North America by Williams Electronics. Controlling the ZIG space fighter craft, players assume the role of protagonist Trent in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien space pirate organization CATS. It was the eighth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their fourteenth video game overall.
The Genesis Nomad, also known as Sega Nomad, is a handheld game console manufactured by Sega and released in North America in October 1995. The Nomad is a portable variation of the Sega Genesis home video game console. It could also be used with a television set via a video port. It was based on the Mega Jet, a portable version of the home console designed for use on airline flights in Japan.
Flashback, released as Flashback: The Quest for Identity in the United States, is a 1992 science fiction cinematic platform game. It was developed by Delphine Software of France and published by U.S. Gold in the United States and Europe, and by Sunsoft in Japan.
ToeJam & Earl is a 1991 action video game developed by Johnson Voorsanger Productions and published by Sega for the Genesis console. It centers on ToeJam and Earl—alien rappers who have crash-landed on Earth—as they attempt to escape the planet, players assume the role of either character and collect pieces of their wrecked spacecraft. It references and parodies 1980s and early 90s urban culture and is set to a funk soundtrack. ToeJam & Earl's design was heavily influenced by the role-playing video game Rogue (1980) and derived various features from the game, such as the random generation of levels and items. As such, ToeJam & Earl is often considered to be an example of a roguelike game.
Streets of Rage 2, known as Bare Knuckle II in Japan, is a 1992 beat 'em up game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. A sequel to Streets of Rage (1991), the characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding return while the game also introduces two new characters: Max Thunder, and Eddie "Skate" Hunter, the younger brother of Adam Hunter from the first game.
The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as the Mega Drive, and in 1989 in North America as the Genesis. In 1990, it was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tectoy in Brazil. In South Korea, it was distributed by Samsung Electronics as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.
Barkley Shut Up and Jam! is a basketball video game originally developed and published by Accolade for the Sega Genesis on North America in March 1994 and later in Europe in April 1994. The game is the first entry in the Barkley Shut Up and Jam series, featuring former NBA MVP Charles Barkley prominently and as one of the playable characters.
Sega Corporation is a Japanese multinational video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It produces several multi-million-selling game franchises for arcades and consoles, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Angry Birds, Phantasy Star, Puyo Puyo, Super Monkey Ball, Total War, Virtua Fighter, Megami Tensei, Sakura Wars, Persona, and Yakuza. From 1983 until 2001, Sega also developed its own consoles.
Piko Interactive LLC is an American video game publisher based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in early 2013 by Eli Galindo, the company focuses on physical re-releases of games from older video game consoles and digitally released ports to newer systems.
Coffee Crisis is a game for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Microsoft Windows, developed and published by Pittsburgh-based company Mega Cat Studios. The console version was released on February 24, 2017, as a physical cartridge with printed manual.
Tanglewood is a puzzle platformer developed and published by Big Evil Corporation for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. It was crowdfunded through Kickstarter and released on 14 August 2018, with emulated versions available for Windows, Mac, and Linux on Steam and a dual-game cartridge for the Evercade along with Xeno Crisis.
The Sega Genesis Mini, known as the Mega Drive Mini in regions outside of North America, is a dedicated console modeled on the Sega Genesis. The Mini emulates the original console's 16-bit hardware, and includes 42 games made available through emulation software by M2. It was released in North America and Japan in September 2019 and in Europe and the Middle East in October 2019. A follow-up, Sega Genesis Mini 2, was released in October 2022 and includes 60 games from the Genesis and Sega CD.
Log Jammers is a sports video game published and developed by Mega Cat Studios. It was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System and is scheduled to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in 2020. The game features a lumberjack theme, silly humor, and fast-paced action in the style of arcade games. The objective of the game is to toss an axe past the opponent and into their goal. The game's name is an allusion to Windjammers, which the developers cite as an inspiration. It also refers to a log jam, which relates to the games lumberjack theme, as well as the aquatic, log-based levels.
The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by British company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. Evercade was released in May 2020 and upon its launch offered 10 game cartridges with a combined total of 122 games.
Justice Duel is a platform game developed and published by Mega Cat Studios. It was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 2017. Players battle one another while riding cybernetically enhanced eagles. The game plays similarly to Joust.
Tänzer is a 2019 hack and slash action-platform video game developed by Mikael Tillander and originally published by Mega Cat Studios for the Sega Mega Drive. In the game, players assume the role of a ballerina whose body was transformed to fight against enemies in a post-apocalyptic setting. The title was crowdfunded through Kickstarter, being first released in 2019 for the Mega Drive and has since been re-released as part of the Mega Cat Studios – Collection 1 compilation for Evercade in 2020.
Xeno Crisis is a 2019 multidirectional shooter homebrew video game developed and published by Bitmap Bureau for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It was later ported to Dreamcast, PlayStation Vita, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation and Evercade. The premise takes place in Outpost 88, a scientific research facility overrun by aliens. The facility sent a distress signal, leading Commander Darius dispatching space marines John Marsh and Sarah Ridley to confront the aliens. Gameplay revolves around players defeating enemies, rescuing survivors, collecting in-game currency for upgrades, and facing against bosses.