Thanks to a “first” Netflix deal, an exclusive version of the Exploding Kittens card game launches on the streamer ahead of an animated series.
This will be the first time Netflix has released a mobile game and TV series from the same franchise, and Exploding Kittens – The Game will be released on Netflix in May 2022 and the adult animated comedy series will premiere in 2023.
Exploding Kittens – The game screenshots
The animated series, which will be titled Exploding Kittens, is starring Rush’s Tom Ellis, The Boys’ Abraham Lim, Elementary’s Lucy Liu, Toy Story 4’s Ally Maki, What We Do In the Shadows’ Mark Proksch and Sasheer Zamata to see waves.
“The eternal conflict between heaven and hell reaches epic proportions when both God and the devil are sent to earth – in the bodies of powerful domestic cats,” reads the official description.
Shane Kosakowski and Matthew Inman will serve as showrunners on Exploding Kittens, and executive producers include Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, Dustin Davis, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Elan Lee.
The game will feel very similar to those who have played the card game, as it challenges players to dodge the eponymous Exploding Kitten. The game will feature two new exclusive maps, Radar and Flip Flop. Radar shows the location of the next exploding kitty in the deck and Flip Flop reverses the order in which cards are drawn.
Future maps and gameplay mechanics will be added once the series launches so “friends and families can play with their favorite characters and bring the show to life.” Additionally, the game will feature single and multiplayer modes and will be available to all Netflix members “with no additional fees or in-app purchases.”
“Netflix is the only service that can bring Exploding Kittens to life in both a series and a game,” said Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens chief creative officer and creator of The Oatmeal. “We originally launched Exploding Kittens on Kickstarter as a weekend project, but our community has been the heart and soul of the company for the past six years. The new series and game will offer our fans new ways to connect and interact with the franchise.”
Exploding Kittens came to life thanks to a Kickstarter in 2015, which raised $8,782,571 — well above its original goal of $10,000. Backers received the game in July 2015 and it was released for iOS/Android in 2016 and for Switch in 2021.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.