DevCats

Squeaky: What spurred you into making your own company? What games inspired your first game?

Devcats: We started Devcats because we wanted to create cozy, meaningful games that reflected our values, especially our love for cats and for doing good in the world. And… we saw how our humans were struggling, so we decided it was our time to help out! We noticed a gap in the market for games that were chill, wholesome, and celebrated everyday joys. We were mainly inspired by studios like Rusty Lake, but our true inspirations are the games from the past, the ones we played as little kittens!

Squeaky: What made you get into making hidden object focused games?

Devcats: We didn’t plan to specialize in hidden object games, it just… happened! Players connected deeply with A Building Full of Cats, and we realized this genre let us do a lot: create interactive art, hide silly secrets, and most importantly, fill every scene with adorable cats. It’s also a very accessible genre, which we love.

Squeaky: Can you walk me through your development process for one of your games? For example, A Castle Full of Cats?

DevCats: We begin with sketches and level design, followed by environment building, cat placement, and programming. From there, we polish and adapt based on player feedback. The art style evolves alongside the game. And then we launch and immediately start planning and producing the next one!

Squeaky: What are some things you recommend for someone making their first game?

Devcats: Start small. Finish something. Scope is everything, we see so many new devs get stuck trying to build their dream game as a first project. Make a mini-game. Learn the whole pipeline (design, art, code, publishing) on a micro-scale first. Allow yourself to fail small so you can learn big. Also: learn how to take feedback, and start building your audience early.

Squeaky: What are some things you recommend for someone publishing their first game?

Devcats: When you’re ready to go full dev, learn to understand the market. Study what’s working now and keep your ears and instincts sharp. Many fail because they fall in love with their own ideas and forget to research if the market actually wants that idea. Launch day is everything if you miss that chance, it’s hard to get seen again.

Squeaky: How do you tackle marketing and what marketing tips do you have for new companies?

Devcats: Start gathering wishlists as early as possible. Have something nice to show, even if it’s early. Devcats is all about building community, so we put a lot of effort into keeping people engaged and curious. Always plan announcements around driving wishlists and interest.

Squeaky: What are some unexpected issues you encountered when you first started developing your games?

Devcats: Bugs? Maybe losing focus to a laser pointer? Honestly, scope creep and burnout were the biggest challenges. It’s easy to overpromise to yourself. Also, we didn’t expect how much time marketing and customer support would take. Making the game is just half the job.

Squeaky: I see you working on several projects at once. What systems do you use for project management?

Devcats: Cats have unusually astute brains. But really, we use simple tools like spreadsheets and text files to track progress.

Squeaky: Are there any development tools you recommend to new companies for the production process overall?

Devcats: We use Godot for our games. But tools are just that, tools. Learn the process, and you’ll be able to work with whatever tool suits your goals. Don’t treat tools as a crutch, they can fail you if you don’t understand the fundamentals.

Squeaky: How do you balance different projects?

Devcats: Cats have perfect balance. It’s a bit of a juggling act, but cats are natural acrobats.

Squeaky: When you come up with a new idea for a game, how do you decide which one to pursue?

Devcats: We weigh each idea based on what we believe will resonate with our audience and what’s working in the broader gamer community. There’s a lot of marketing research in our work.

Squeaky: Are there any things you wish you knew earlier when you started developing games?

Devcats: How to market effectively on Steam. What genres work, how communication impacts discovery, and how critical it is to understand platform dynamics.

Squeaky: Is there any advice that comes to mind when someone tells you they want to go into games?

Devcats: Learn to assess the scope of your projects and your own capabilities. Temper your expectations. Steam is more crowded than ever, and there’s no magic formula for success, it’s a mix of analysis, iteration, and hard work. If you want to succeed, make sure your game’s genre and scale are viable for an indie. Seek solid advice, be skeptical of flashy success stories, and study platforms like SteamDB to understand what’s truly working.