On the afternoon of November 19th, The Battle Cats developer PONOS released a statement confirming reports that 100 million cans of Cat Food had been stolen from one of its warehouses.
Followers of PONOS’s Instagram, Facebook, and X accounts have found their customary stream of The Battle Cats updates replaced by a sinister ransom video.
While the members of The OutCats have not revealed their identities, they disclose in their ransom video that they were rejected by The Battle Cats nine years ago, around the time that the game was first launched on Android and iOS.
Apparently more concerned with vengeance than self-interest, The OutCats have revealed their intention to give away their booty, pledging 999 cans of Cat Food to every player who logs in to the game.
Watch the ransom in full here.
The Battle Cats was released in 2014, going on to attract more than 85 million downloads, critical praise, and a loyal fanbase. It’s on Android and iOS.
The object of the game is to send cats into battle with an array of woodland creatures, some more fantastical than others. Common-or-garden squirrels, rabbits, and pigs are joined on the battlefield by cybernetic monsters and putrid blobs.
As players work their way through waves of these exotic adversaries, they gain access to a growing number of Battle Cats, all with their own individual abilities.
To claim a cat, players have to open a Capsule by spending Cat Food, the game’s main currency. The Battle Cats is now awash with this valuable currency.
For the executives at PONOS HQ, this is a catastrophic state of affairs.
For players, it’s a bonanza.
Read PONOS’s full statement below.
19 November 2023 – 3:00PM PST
BREAKING: PONOS announces theft of 100 million Cat Food cans
PONOS Corporation has today launched an independent review of security after it was discovered 100 million Cat Food cans were missing from The Battle Cats warehouse.
A representative of PONOS was contacted this morning by an alleged criminal organisation claiming responsibility. Further investigation revealed more than 100 million Cat Food cans had indeed been stolen by the syndicate, whose demands are yet unknown.
This matter is currently under investigation, but we will provide more information over the coming days as more details come to light.
2023-11-21 15:08:31