When veterans from China’s biggest rival gaming giants—Tencent and NetEase—leave their corporate strongholds to team up, the industry takes notice. But no one quite predicted what their newly minted collective, Raven Studio, would build as their debut project.

Alongside global publisher Infini Fun, Raven Studio has officially pulled back the curtain on Cats in the Shell, a frantic, highly strategic mech-building roguelike auto battler coming to PC via Steam Early Access in Q4 2026.

If you’ve ever wanted to pilot a towering, steel-clad instrument of absolute destruction as a whiskered feline, your highly specific dream is finally coming true.

The Birth of Raven Studio

Raven Studio isn’t just another indie outfit. Founded by a powerhouse collective of industry veterans pulling experience from Tencent, NetEase, and SNK, the studio was built with a specific mandate: break away from predictable, formulaic corporate production and prioritize pure, experimental gameplay.

By partnering with Infini Fun, a global multi-platform publisher established in 2024, the developers have been given the runway to bring one of their wildest ideas to life.

“Cats in the Shell’s detail-oriented, satisfying mech building and roguelike randomness will keep you on your toes. More than 1,000 modules provide near-infinite choices in exhilarating combat instances.” — Alex Dong, Director of Raven Studio

Tactical Customisation Meets Feline Fury

At its core, Cats in the Shell is all about build-crafting. The loop is a satisfying blend of deep mechanical tinkering and roguelike unpredictability.

1. Six Mech Archetypes & Whiskered Helmsmen

Players can choose from six distinct mech types, each serving as a blank metal canvas. However, a giant war machine is only as good as its pilot. You’ll recruit a variety of feline fighters, each sporting exclusive active abilities and unique strategic focuses that heavily alter how your machine behaves on the battlefield.

2. Over 1,000 Component Modules

As you progress through runs and navigate random in-game events, you will collect weapons, armor, and specialized component parts. With over 1,000 modules available, the sheer depth of theory-crafting is massive.

3. Inventory Management & Synergy Slots

You can allocate modules into five core slots. However, inventory space is strictly limited. The strategy lies in managing your tight inventory, arranging parts in a precise order, and unlocking hidden synergies that trigger explosive chain reactions.

Automated Chaos and Global PvP

Once your feline pilot is buckled in and your mech is armed to the teeth, it’s time to step onto the battlefield. Cats in the Shell splits its action across two main fronts:

• The Story Campaign: Battle through four distinct futuristic biomes, adapting your loadout to handle environmental hazards and squaring off against towering, screen-filling bosses.
• Asynchronous PvP: Want to test your build against the world? Take your machine into an asynchronous PvP gauntlet. You will fight AI-controlled versions of mechs meticulously assembled by actual players worldwide. The ultimate goal? Survived the gauntlet to secure 10 cumulative victories.

Because it’s an auto battler, your job is done once the countdown hits zero. You get to sit back and watch your engineering masterclass—or catastrophic design flaws—play out in real-time automated clashes of steel, lasers, and flying fur.

Launch Details & Public Playtest

Cats in the Shell is slated to hit Steam Early Access in Q4 2026. Raven Studio is already aiming for a massive global audience right out of the gate, promising localization support for 11 languages, including English, German, French, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

Can’t wait until Q4? You don’t have to. To celebrate the announcement, Raven Studio and Infini Fun have launched a seven-day public playtest right now on Steam. Head over to their store page, request access, and start building your ultimate mechanical kitty today.

What do you think of this unexpected gaming crossover? Let us know your thoughts on Raven Studio’s debut in the comments below!

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