Mewgenics is the first big indie hit of 2026. Analyzing the game's success and its exemplary pre-release marketing

On February 10, a turn-based "roguelike" game about cat breeding by the creator of The Binding of Isaac was released on Steam. Beneath its surreal concept lies deep gameplay at the intersection of several genres. In today's article, we offer a detailed analysis of Mewgenics in terms of revenue, sales, and wishlists, as well as its marketing campaign.

What this article will cover:

• a brief history of Mewgenics, whose development took more than eight years;
• the successful launch of the game on Steam: wishlists, sales, revenue, and other metrics;
• a comparison of Mewgenics' metrics with other "roguelike" games;
• the game's marketing campaign as an example of effective community engagement and setting the right expectations.

Mewgenics: What is the game about, and why is there such interest?

Mewgenics is an auteur project in every sense, so it cannot be considered separately from the personality and creativity of its creator. Game designer and artist Edmund McMillen, who has been making flash games since the early 2000s, gained fame with the platformer Super Meat Boy and the "roguelike" The Binding of Isaac. These are some of the most well-known and successful indie games in history, in the true sense of the term.