- Packing a punch: Demo, Dev Relays, and Showcases - 1 September 2026
We’re done chasing the sun and back in the saddle - squashing bugs, perfecting level design, fine-tuning animations, and so much more at the FlatPonies stables!We’re still tapping our hooves after dropping the Gameplay Trailer and going live with our demo for Six One Indie Demo Days. Between our team stampede at the DHL Relay and another showcase on the horizon (TODAY!), we've got plenty to share. Saddle up for the August rundown!Community Feedback & Bug HuntingSince pushing our demo LIVE, we’ve been reading through your comments, watching your playthroughs, and taking notes! Our team turns on their computers every single day to handcraft Scratch’s world - from sketches to final character builds, mapping out levels, playtesting, building the ground, and making Scratch feel great to control whether he's jumping or crawling. It takes a lot of time and care to polish everything, which is w…
- 🐱 Scratch The Cat - Demo Update Notes - 5 August 2026
Hey everyone! We've just pushed a small update to the Scratch The Cat demo to polish up controls, smooth out movement, and fixed a few bug reports from you lovely players. Here is what’s new in this patch: 🎮 Controls & Gameplay Poleswing Jump Fixed: Resolved an issue where the poleswing jump was too short, giving Scratch proper distance again.Throw Aiming Arc: Improved the visual accuracy of the aim arc indicator when throwing items.Controller Layout Graphic Updated: Updated the controls menu to display the Claws (Wall Attach) button mapping.🐛 Fixes & additions Gong Room Hints: Fixed incomplete hints inside the Gong Room.NPC Interactions: Scratch will now properly face whoever he is speaking with during dialogue sequences.Anti-Stuck Safeguard: Added a system that teleports Scratch back to his last grounded position if trapped in an endless falling loop. If you run into any other issue…
- 🎧🐱 Play Scratch The Cat Demo NOW - LIVE at the Six One Indie Demo Days! - 31 July 2026
Grab your controller and relive 90s platformer nostalgia with ultra-smooth, slick movement - the official Scratch The Cat demo is LIVE on Steam right now for the Six One Indie Demo Days (July 31st – August 7th)!So if you’ve been itching for a vibrant 3D mascot platformer that blends nostalgic 90s collectathon fun with high-momentum, rhythm-driven movement... then the video game equivalent of a perfect mixtape has finally arrived.👉 PLAY THE DEMO NOW 🎬 WATCH THE TRAILER🎮 What is in the demo?Step into the headphones of Scratch, a rhythm-driven DJ cat on a mission to recover his stolen record collection from the thieving Snatch the Rat and his gang of goons: Flow-State Movement: Chain together dives, jumps, and feline flair to navigate levels with your own expressive style and find your top speed. Vibrant Musical Worlds: Jump through the tutorial in Melotropolis and venture into Rhythm R…
- MatchUp May & Scratch’s Cat-titude - 19 June 2026
Though we usually hide from the sun behind our screens - busy grooming Scratch the Cat here at the FlatPonies stables - we’ll soon be opening the stable doors to gallop into the summer sun.We promise not to stall for too long; we’ll be back in August with exciting news and fresh updates. Before we trot off to frolic, here is a quick look at what we've been up to throughout May and June!Copenhagen MatchUp: Connecting the DotsOur General Manager, Julie Heyde, and Writer & Communications Manager, Julie Hindkjær, recently headed out to Copenhagen MatchUp - one of Denmark’s go-to events for connecting local indie studios with international publishers and investors, hosted by Games Denmark.The day kicked off with an opening welcome from the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, highlighting the growing value of the gaming industry. Overall, we learned a lot, met some amazi…
- Curiosity Improves the Cat - 1 May 2026
Debug & Deploy: How player data is sharpening Scratch’s movesSoftware, much like a cat, is constantly adapting to its environment. Every jump, fall, and collision in our closed demo leaves a trail of data behind. In this month’s newsletter, we’re following that trail with our programmers to uncover the "silent" improvements being made to the game based on the patterns our playtesters left behind.We’re heading behind the scenes with programmer Jesper Andersson to see what really happens under the hood at FlatPonies. It turns out, making a cat jump to the beat involves a lot more than just pressing "play."The Secret Life of a ProgrammerBehind the vibrant colors of Scratch The Cat lies a world of automated tests, code maintenance, and analytics. Jesper sums it up as a job of many hats:"If I'm working on gameplay features there's usually a lot of back and forth with designers; seeing what’s…
- Shaders and VFX: A Deep Dive into the Water - 10 April 2026
It’s time to talk about how we’re making a splash with our new water visuals - And how to join the closed demoWhile some have been diving into Easter eggs, we’ve been swimming in feedback at the FlatPonies barn! We recently opened the floodgates for limited community playtesting, and the response has been a total wave of positivity. But the waterworks don’t stop there - the atmosphere is getting a lot deeper this month as we transform how our water behaves and looks.Scratch taking a dip in one of the many bodies of water in Rhythm Ruins.A Technical Splash: Realism Meets RhythmOur Technical Artist, Ameer Khalid, has been working under the surface to fine-tune how water behaves. The biggest change? Versatility. As Ameer explains: "The main difference would be that the waves of the water now operate more realistically and versatile... two big bodies of water no longer have identical waves…
- Theme song rapped by… - 6 March 2026
February is usually all about hearts, flowers, and questionable chocolate choices - but we traded the candy for controllers!We spent the month putting Scratch The Cat to the ultimate test at Copenhagen Gaming Week with TAGS. Moving from quiet school playtests to a massive convention was a "heart-pounding" shift, but even with flashy distractions everywhere, kids kept choosing Scratch and coming back for more. It’s safe to say we felt the love!We wrapped up the month with a rap: our official theme song, performed by the rappin’ duck MC Quack. For those who haven't met her yet, she’s our resident narrator and the lyrical powerhouse of The Hub. She’s the heartbeat of the Scratch soundtrack - setting the stage for Scratch’s adventures and keeping the rhythm moving. The name is a cheeky wink to our Danish roots: since "anden rapper" can mean both "the duck is quacking" and "the duck is rappi…
- Leveling up for Tomorrows Awesome Games Showcase and beyond! - 6 February 2026
January has been snowy and cold, and February is “snowing” us the same cold promise. But fear not...--you can warm up with us at Copenhagen Gaming Week, where you’ll find us at TAGS - Tomorrow’s Awesome Games Showcase, 12–14th February at Bella Center, Copenhagen.And that’s not all! We’ve got something exciting brewing, ready to be served some time after TAGS. Want to be the first in line? Then head to our Discord, and join in!Over the past month, we’ve laid down some of the final building blocks for TAGS. In this newsletter, we’ll share highlights from recent playtests that helped us spot what needed fine-tuning, and dive into level design philosophy with insights from our Level Designer, Alice Persson.From internal to external playtestingSometimes our work literally consists of… playing video games! Specifically, Scratch The Cat. Playtesting helps us spot design flaws, clear up confus…
- 2025: Letting the Cat Out of the Bag - 9 January 2026
We ended December in snow, and we’re starting off January in… more snow!But we’re kicking off the year with some warm, fuzzy news: Scratch The Cat has been selected for the TAGS Showcase 2026!Our year ahead is already off to a great start - but before we hit play on 2026, let’s rewind a little. 2025 was all about letting the cat out of the bag: showing off Scratch, our development progress, team stories, and what makes this game tick (and scratch). Through our website and newsletters, we unpacked Scratch’s world piece by piece - so here’s a quick highlight on 2025.MAY we Drop the Trailer?At the start of 2025, we flew across the ocean to GDC in San Francisco - not to make a big public splash just yet, but to learn, connect, and share early parts of Scratch The Cat with fellow developers. It was a valuable trip filled with feedback, inspiration, and plenty of notes to take home. That expe…
- The look and Sound of Collectibles - 5 December 2025
Remember, remember… all of November! We certainly do, as we’ve been busy polishing both our Christmas ornaments and our collectibles so they’ll shine (and sound) just right for the holidays.Lean in for a quick scoop from our Art Director and Sound Designer on what to expect from the collectibles in Scratch The Cat.Collectathon PlatformerScratch is on a quest to retrieve his scattered record fragments - and along the way, the happy collectathonner will find lots of goodies, some crucial for progress and some just for fun. As our Art Director Christian Weatherley puts it: “\ other collectibles add fun new flavor and incentivise exploring the world to its fullest.”Fragments of Records These fragments once powered the world through Scratch’s DJ sets at The Hub - making them the game’s most essential collectible. “Scratch must recover the fragments to reassemble his records, allowing him to…
- Concepting The World of Scratch The Cat - 7 November 2025
October ended on a spooky note, so let’s start November on a cozy one with a little update from us - and some fresh visuals!Earlier this month, we joined Culture Night Copenhagen at Prosa, where players got a firsthand taste of Scratch The Cat. And if you caught our #Blocktober post, you’ve already seen a glimpse of Bluegrass Fields.Curious for more? Our artists have been bringing musical ideas to life - following the same rhythm - and now you can hear their thoughts behind the creations.Tyra on Outfits and Character DesignAs Artist Tyra Malmqvist puts it:"As an artist I work on a variety of generalist tasks, both for 2D and 3D assets. Recently I've gotten to concept outfits and cosmetics that are going to be in the game."Many of these outfits draw directly from musical culture - but adapting them to Scratch’s quirky cast is where the creativity comes in. "Most of the outfits have very…
- The musical world of Scratch The Cat - 3 October 2025
We’re waking you up to our newsletter - just as September ends!We’re waking you up to our newsletter - just as September ends!This month, we’ve been fine-tuning levels, adding fresh music, and shaping the groovy world of Scratch The Cat. At its core, the game celebrates the classic ’90s platformers we grew up with - but with a twist: everything in this world, from buildings to enemies and platforms, is infused with music. So how does this musical world shape game development?Let’s hear from our sound designer, level designer, and art director.Sound Design - Casper on Audio IdentityFor our sound designer Casper Taro, everything starts with a question: "If this object was an instrument, which one would it be?"Even everyday sounds are reimagined with a musical twist:A rock slam might sound like a kick drum.A springy contraption could mimic a jaw harp.Explosions and impacts: Casper sneaks i…
- From sketch to Scratch - 29 August 2025
Hey there, cool cats and fellow flat ponies!We’re back from summer break - and still buzzing with joy from the amazing response to the Scratch The Cat announcement trailer at The Six One Indie Showcase. Thanks for all the love, feedback, and purrs of excitement!Even though the announcement trailer has dropped, that doesn’t mean the workload has - there’s still a ways to go before the final game is ready for a spin!Behind the Scratch: A Quick Look Back As our Creative Director, Felix Sherar, revealed in an interview with Six One Indie, he originally created the game as a student project while studying sound design. That’s when the idea of a musical world was born.When Felix joined FlatPonies, he pitched the idea to our boss, Julie Heyde. She loved it and gave it the green light. In the beginning, it was just Felix and our Art Director, Christian Weatherley, working on it in between devel…
- 🐱Scratch The Cat is Dropping the Beat – and its Announcement Trailer! - 22 May 2025
We’re FlatPonies — a passionate indie team straight from the barn in Copenhagen - and we’re thrilled to drop the record needle on our upcoming game: Scratch The Cat! We’re putting all our horsepower behind one funky feline. Announcement Trailer The Scratch The Cat announcement trailer had its world premiere as part of the Six One Indie Showcase, alongside a behind-the-”screens” look at life inside FlatPonies barn. Wanna see Scratch’s moves? Now you can set your claws into the trailer: https://youtu.be/gB2HsYiWCfM Scratch The Cat is available to wishlist now 👇 https://store.steampowered.com/app/858200/Scratch_The_Cat/ Meet Scratch In Scratch The Cat, you play as Scratch, a rhythm-driven DJ cat on a mission to recover his stolen records. The culprit? None other than Snatch the Rat and his gang of gnarly goons. With your paws on the decks, you’ll groove through vibrant worlds and face off…
