Sony celebrates Stray's success with a $25k donation to ASPCA

Published , by TJ Denzer

Stray was quite the delightful new adventure game when it launched earlier this year. It put players in the role of a cute kitty as it navigated a dystopian sci-fi world in search of a way out of civilization and back to the freedom of the wilds. What’s more fun is that players discovered many of their pets were enamored or at least curious of the game thanks to its very realistic portrayal of a cat and its behaviors. BlueTwelve did quite a good job, and Sony is celebrating Stray’s success with a sizzle reel of pet-owning Stray players and a donation to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Sony announced its donation in an SIE blog on September 30, 2022, shared alongside a cute video of pets reacting to Stray’s gameplay. It’s fun watching cats and dogs seeing Stray in action and attempting to interact with the orange kitty on the screen. It wasn’t just fun and games though. Sony also made a $25,000 donation to the ASPCA and highlighted the organization's website to direct players to help real-world animals in need.

Stray was a welcome addition to the 2022 gaming slate. BlueTwelve Studio built an intriguing world to explore, but just as much, it captured cat physics and platforming (ahem… catforming) to a rather incredible degree. This, combined with a surprisingly emotional depth, a breathtakingly beautiful setting, and the ability to be a jerk and knock things off tables like cups and stacks of books earned Stray high marks in our Shacknews review. Sony’s move to donate to a wonderful cause for animals goes hand-in-hand with Stray.

A fun side effect of Stray was players realizing their pets were mesmerized by the game's very realistic-looking animals and trying to interact with them.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the game, be sure to peep our other Stray coverage, including our special livestream of the game. Be sure to check out the ASPCA as well to see how you can help animals in need, whether through donations or volunteer assistance.