Erin Hunter’s Warrior Cats franchise is lastly getting an officially licensed video game coming to all main platforms this fall. We acquired to talk with one of many builders behind the turn-based title, who opened up concerning the workforce’s artistic course of and what it’s like bringing the Clans to life.
As a lifelong fan of the Warrior Cats world, I couldn’t imagine it after I acquired the prospect to quiz the builders at Bamtang Video games and the oldsters at Coolabi Group about Clans of the Forest, the upcoming turn-based role-playing recreation primarily based on the 4 authentic clans of the Warriors guide sequence.
I additionally get to be the one to fortunately break the information of its official launch date. Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest will launch on October 23, 2026 on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X and S, Nintendo Swap, and Nintendo Swap 2.
With that out of the best way, let’s take a dive into my dialog with Adam Johnston, Artistic Director at Bamtang Video games, who assured me that his workforce is doing every thing they’ll to remain true the the books’ lore — even to the purpose of bringing in group members to maintain them on the best path.
IGN: The Warriors books are beloved by generations of followers. How does it really feel being honored with the duty of bringing this world to life?
Adam Johnston: Trying on the sheer scale of the world Erin Hunter constructed was just a little intimidating at first. When you understand simply what number of books, characters, and Clan dynamics exist, you perceive the dimensions of the mountain you are climbing. However as quickly as our workforce jumped into the tales, that intimidation become pleasure. We fell in love with the lore. Bringing it to life turned a dream challenge for us. To verify we get each element proper, we’ve had devoted tremendous followers working alongside us all through improvement. They maintain us sincere and ensure we do not by accident violate any sacred Clan traditions alongside the best way. Having their suggestions paired with our workforce’s vitality has been wonderful. Our aim has been to craft one thing deeply genuine for readers who grew up with the sequence, whereas making it simply as participating for somebody discovering Warriors for the primary time. It is an enormous accountability, however we could not ask for a greater world to construct. If we have now by accident tousled the etiquette of a Gathering, we totally count on StarClan to strike us down.
IGN: Inform me just a little bit concerning the manufacturing course of for Clans of the Forest. Why a turn-based RPG? Was any inspiration taken from the Roblox recreation?
Adam Johnston: While you take a look at fight within the books, it is not simply cats slashing wildly at one another. It’s about stealth, positioning, and dealing as a workforce. A turn-based RPG made probably the most sense as a result of it forces you to suppose strategically as a substitute of simply mashing buttons. It additionally allow us to construct correct workforce battles and offers us a strong framework to make fights in opposition to badgers, foxes, or rival patrols really work mechanically. Designing RPG fight for cats meant ditching commonplace spells. As an alternative, depth comes from shifting fight Stances. Each transfer you make alters your stance mid-fight, turning battles right into a tactical recreation of studying your opponent and predicting their subsequent transfer earlier than they strike. As for Roblox, tons of respect to that group. They confirmed everybody years in the past simply how badly followers wished to roleplay on this world. We’re constructing a structured RPG reasonably than an open sandbox, however seeing their success gave us plenty of confidence that the urge for food was positively there.
IGN: Why did you make the selection to let gamers create their very own cat, reasonably than play by way of the story as one of many established cats within the sequence?
Adam Johnston: In case you ask virtually any Warriors fan, the very first thing they did after studying the books was determine what their very own warrior identify can be and which Clan they belonged to. Self-expression is a big a part of why folks fall in love with this universe within the first place. If we compelled you to play as Firestar or one other established character, you’d simply be operating by way of a narrative the place you already understand how every thing seems. Letting gamers create their very own cat utterly modifications the sport. It provides you unimaginable replayability, as a result of each new cat you make comes with a special Clan, look, stat setup, and character. Over time, you are not simply enjoying a single marketing campaign. You are constructing your individual private legacy throughout the forest, populating the world with your individual internet of tales, rivalries, and characters throughout a number of playthroughs.
IGN: How essential was cat customization to you? (As a child who completely designed their very own Warrior Cat OC, imagine me, I get the enchantment. Haha!)
Adam Johnston: Everybody who learn these books had a pocket book someplace stuffed with their very own customized cat designs. We knew if we did not give gamers deep customization, we might be lacking your complete level of constructing a Warriors recreation. We wished to be sure to may customise preliminary visuals like pelt patterns and eye colours, but in addition see your cat change as they grow old. Your cat will begin out as a cute apprentice and finally find yourself wanting like a grizzled veteran who has seen manner too many badgers. On prime of that, we tied identification instantly into mechanics. Your Clan, stage, and coaching form your base stats, whereas the alternatives you make alongside your journey decide the strikes you study. That manner, your cat really grows up and lives a special story within the forest every time.
IGN: Will gamers get to decide on sure roles, like being a Drugs Cat? Why or why not?
Adam Johnston: We anchored the participant’s path within the warrior ranks as a result of each Clan wants a transparent chief to face the prophecy, and we wished the participant to be that hero. Whereas being a Drugs Cat is a fantasy for lots of followers, their obligation within the lore is therapeutic and non secular steering, not tactical dueling or Clan management. The emotional climax throughout all 4 Sagas depends on you standing on the head of your Clan throughout its most harmful hour. To present gamers a Hero’s Journey, we wished your selections to instantly have an effect on Clan politics and management. That mentioned, Drugs Cats nonetheless play an essential function in your journey. They’re central to the story, non secular steering, and survival of your Clan, even if you happen to aren’t the one shelling out catmint your self.
IGN: The Warriors books are recognized for being fairly brutal, regardless of their younger viewers. Was the inclusion of any blood and gore mentioned for this recreation?
Adam Johnston: We mentioned this early on as a result of the books are well-known for his or her fierce battles. However for us, it wasn’t about exhibiting blood, it was about honoring the resilience of a warrior. We designed stylized visible scars that really feel earned after robust encounters, avoiding something graphic or scary. Giving gamers a toggle to show these scars on or off within the settings was a vital choice for us: it respects completely different age teams, sensory consolation, and participant company with out diluting the dramatic rigidity of huge essential fights.
IGN: Is any DLC deliberate after the sport’s launch?
Adam Johnston: Proper now, we’re centered on the launch of the sport. Any updates or plans for added content material shall be addressed later.
IGN: And eventually, do you’ve gotten a message to the followers about what they’ll count on from Clans of the Forest?
Adam Johnston: The books do not pull punches. You have acquired canine packs, vicious badger fights, and a few genuinely heavy character deaths. We knew we could not make a sanitized model of the forest, as a result of treating this universe with respect means honoring these precise stakes. On the identical time, we did not need gratuitous gore only for shock worth. Our aim was to match the emotional weight of the books reasonably than flip it into a complete splatterfest. You’ll really feel the stress of fight, and your cat will choose up scars as they age, however the focus is on story and penalties of selections. Get able to show you are warrior materials, not only a comfortable kittypet.
I additionally acquired the prospect to quiz a couple of members of the Coolabi Group, a British media firm that has owned the rights to the Warrior franchise since 2012. Particularly, I acquired to speak with Nick Cooke, Director of Product Improvement, in addition to Jordan Lengthy and Stephanie Lane Elliot from Coolabi’s Editorial workforce.
IGN: The Warriors books are beloved by generations of followers. How does it really feel being honored with the duty of bringing this world to life?
Jordan Lengthy: I’ve been studying the books since 2005, after I was only a child in elementary faculty and the Warrior Cats sequence solely had eight printed books to its identify. Now there are lots of of books, graphic novel diversifications, a number of strains of merchandise, a tv sequence in improvement – and now the upcoming recreation. It has been completely unimaginable to be part of creating this latest chapter within the Warrior Cats story. It looks like reaching again in time and gifting myself the sport I at all times dreamed of as a baby, and I hope the gamers really feel the love that was put into this, as a gamer and as a lifelong fan of the books.
IGN: What was an important side from the books that you simply felt you simply needed to get proper within the recreation?
Jordan Lengthy: One of the vital essential issues we wished this recreation to do for followers was to actually allow them to really feel that they weren’t simply enjoying a online game with a Warrior Cats brand slapped onto it, however really attending to play by way of a narrative that felt genuine to the world of Warrior Cats. Not simply the mechanics of searching and preventing and designing their cat, however attending to have the expertise of residing on the planet of the Clans, going through the kind of heavy future that most of the characters within the books have been introduced with and having the selection of how they wish to strategy it. We really feel that the 4 tales we’ve put collectively for the 4 Clans really feel genuine to the world of the books – tales of prophecies, hardship, braveness, and the bonds cast each inside and outdoors of your Clan that decide the type of warrior you develop into.
Stephanie Lane Elliot: We wished to verify the sport gave a practical view of what it feels prefer to dwell within the Clans, the load of the alternatives a warrior makes daily, and the way these selections can affect not solely their lives however the lives of all their Clanmates.
IGN: The Warriors books are recognized for being fairly brutal, regardless of their younger viewers. Was the inclusion of any blood and gore mentioned for this recreation? Why or why not?
Nick Cooke: We talked loads about learn how to carry battling into the gameplay in a manner that felt true to the Warrior Cats world, whereas additionally being applicable for a broad viewers. We have been very aware of the sensitivity round violence, notably given the age vary of the books’ viewers, however we additionally wished the fight to really feel significant and interesting.
The turn-based battle system provides gamers the chance to actually step into the function of a warrior. You’ll be able to hunt prey, defend your self in opposition to predators, and combat alongside your Clan in opposition to rival Clans. We felt that specializing in technique, character talents, and the thrill of the battle itself allowed us to seize that sense of hazard and journey with out counting on graphic blood or gore. By having multi-character battles, notably battles between Clans, can be an enormous a part of making the sport really feel just like the world of Warrior Cats. It provides gamers the prospect to expertise these larger-scale conflicts and, finally, really feel like they’re really a part of their Clan.
IGN: Followers appear to be equal elements cautious and excited for each the Clans of the Forest recreation and the upcoming animated sequence. Do you’ve gotten any phrases for the fanbase as to what they’ll count on from the franchise below Coolabi’s purview?
Nick Cooke: Warrior Cats will have fun its twenty fifth anniversary in 2028, and over these 25 years we have now strived to assist our extraordinary international fanbase who’ve made the world of Warrior Cats their very own. With greater than 90 million books bought and the Roblox recreation quickly approaching one billion performs, it’s clear that the urge for food for this world is stronger than ever — and there’s nonetheless much more to return.
Our ambition is to proceed increasing the methods followers can expertise and take part on the planet of Warrior Cats, whereas at all times respecting what has made the franchise so particular to them. Forward of the animated sequence which is slated to premiere in 2028, we’ll be launching a lot of digital and social media packages with quite a lot of content material, designed to offer followers new methods to have interaction with the characters, tales and wider world. These will sit alongside our continued funding in publishing and our increasing client merchandise programme, serving to us construct a broader digital presence for the franchise.
We additionally recognise that the Warrior Cats group has been creating, imagining and increasing this world for years. Emmy Award-winning director Rodrigo Blaas, who’s directing the animated sequence, spoke lately concerning the unimaginable creativity of the followers and the accountability that comes with bringing the books to animation:
“Individuals and followers have been animating these books on their very own time, of their bedrooms, at their desks, as a result of they weren’t going to attend for any individual to make it official. A lot of these works are stunning. Now we have watched plenty of it. That is the primary time these books are formally changing into an animated sequence. So we all know we’re not the primary individuals who tried to carry this world to animated life. We’re simply the primary ones who get to do it at this scale, and we don’t take that flippantly.” This actually captures how we really feel about the way forward for Warrior Cats. We all know we’re constructing on one thing that already means an enormous quantity to thousands and thousands of individuals. The aim isn’t merely to make extra Warrior Cats content material, however to create new experiences that give present followers one thing to be enthusiastic about whereas welcoming a brand new technology into the Clans.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s Information Editor. With ten years of expertise reporting on video games and leisure, she’s acquired a storied background within the preventing recreation group, influencer information, and viral on-line developments. Discover her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.