Creator: The Cat and the Coup is a success

The Cat and The Coup is a success in more than one way, scoring critical acclaim and an IGF nomination, but co-creator Kurosh ValaNejad says communicating with intended users is all the success it needs.

"Our user-testing shows young American students (our primary target audience) want to know more about the game's topic after playing The Cat and the Coup," ValaNejad told Game Set Watch.

"For us, that makes this project a success."

The unusual, almost abstract title's other developer, Peter Brinson, commented that indie scene fosters creativity thanks to differing definitions of success, divorced from financial considerations.

"Not being concerned about pleasing a gargantuan audience positively affects the work," he said.

"Lots of people are making games these days who place a goal of making out-of-the-ordinary experiences as their highest priority, with a profit motive and a need to please everyone way down the list."

The Cat and The Coup tells a story of Iran's first democratically-elected prime minister, Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, from the perspective of his cat, and examines occasionally-controversial clashes with international politics. It's one of eight contenders for the IGF's Nuovo Award, which honours short form and abstract games.