You may be asking yourself, “What is Kitten Kaiju Games?” And what is a kaiju, for that matter? The word is Japanese (怪獣) and translates to “strange beast.” It refers to a film genre that features giant monsters—like the iconic Godzilla—who often attack major cities and clash with the military or other monsters. Kaiju is a subgenre of tokusatsu entertainment, with roots tracing back to the ancient Chinese classic The Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Kitten Kaiju Games (KKG) was founded in 2018 when I began developing my first game, Kitten Round-Up, a lighthearted game about catching kittens. The company name was inspired by my own cats, who have a habit of leaping onto the game table during game night—scattering dice, tokens, and cards like tiny, furry Godzillas. In that chaotic moment, they felt like true kaiju, and the name just fit.
Some of my cats prefer a more stealthy approach: perching silently on a chair or lap, watching the action with laser focus—waiting for a stray die to roll within reach. Then, with the speed of a trapdoor spider, they strike, stealing their prize and vanishing into the shadows. I eventually found an artist who perfectly captured the spirit of the name, and honestly, it’s a much better name than “Trap Door Spider Games.”