Welcome to Trapped Cat

By Victor Mora | 03/13/2026

A Decade in the Making

Every studio has an origin story, but ours did not start in a boardroom or a computer lab. It started nearly ten years ago with a group of friends, a massive urge to create, and absolutely no idea how to make it happen.

Back then, our ambition was simple: to make a fun, animated YouTube series that parodied our own lives. Inspired by shows like BoJack Horseman, which brilliantly masked deeply complex, human messages behind simple animation, we began writing and storyboarding a project called "A donde nos lleve el futuro" (Where the Future Takes Us). It was a story about broken, lonely characters stumbling through the realities of adulthood.

Eventually, those characters outgrew their parodic roots. The story became larger, more ambitious, and much more complex than our resources could handle at the time. We realized we needed more than just a single project; we needed an identity that could house all our stories.

However, life had other plans. As we transitioned into college, and with some of us even moving to different countries, the logistics of continuing became impossible. The animated project ultimately died, but from its ashes, Trapped Cat was born. We tucked the name away as a distant, far off dream, a promise that one day we would reunite to build something of our own.

Reviving the Dream

Years later, after abandoning the original series concept and gaining more experience after college, we came together to revive the studio. This time, our focus shifted to gaming.

Scourgeborne: Defiled was born from our shared love for the horror genre. As massive fans of media like Evil Dead, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Amnesia, we knew we wanted to channel those inspirations into our very first game and create our own terrifying, narrative driven experience.

The Chemistry of a Name

Trapped Cat Logo

People often wonder how brands get their names. Ours stems from a moment of pure high school boredom.

During a particularly long chemistry class, I started doodling in my notebook. I ended up drawing a human figure in a business suit, but with a blindfolded cat head, inexplicably sitting inside a microwave. Years later, when we were searching for a studio name that was memorable and full of personality, that absurd drawing came to mind.

The name "Trapped Cat" just fit. It started as a funny joke, but it quickly became a metaphor. The cat in the microwave represents all of us feeling trapped in a systematic life where we go to college and live a life of boredom and monotony. We are trying to escape that cycle, and we hope our work inspires others to escape their own.

It was also heavily inspired by our love for Naughty Dog, as we liked the punchiness of a two word name featuring an animal. Furthermore, it is a nod to the Spanish phrase "aquí huele a gato encerrado" (which translates to "something smells fishy" or "there is a trapped cat here"), implying there is a mystery waiting to be uncovered. We want our games to evoke that exact feeling: something intriguing and a little enigmatic.

Finding Our Anchor

I will always look back on those high school years fondly because they taught me the true value of friendship. Growing up is an overwhelming process, and it is easy to feel lost, questioning if you are moving in the right direction. But when you surround yourself with the right people, you realize you aren't alone in your fears or your dreams.

Friendship became our anchor. Trapped Cat emerged from the need to express the emotions we were experiencing and to build something meaningful alongside the people who matter most.

Meet the Trapped Cat Team

As of March 2026, we are a tight knit core team of four:

Miguel: Co-founder, lead project director, and the driving force who brought Trapped Cat back to life so we could create Scourgeborne: Defiled. Wearing multiple hats, he is a dedicated 3D artist and developer, as well as a musician behind our soundtracks.

Damián: Co-Founder, lead Technical Artist and the technical mind bringing the game to life. He is a highly talented individual who possesses an equal skillset for complex technical topics and creative artistic vision. His main focus is finding ways to push the envelope, constantly exploring what we can achieve at the intersection of art and technological possibilities.

Josu: Founding Member, Lead concept artist and a highly skilled visionary. He has greatly helped in the development and grounding of our ideas, making him an amazing artist and a pivotal member of the team.

Victor: Co-founder, lead scriptwriter, and the voice behind this post. An engineer by trade but a dreamer at heart, I am a writer dedicated to creating compelling stories and bringing our narratives to life.

Bridging Talent Across Borders

Our vision for Trapped Cat extends beyond our immediate team. We want to harness the immense creative potential of developers, artists, and tech specialists in Aguascalientes, Mexico. By combining this local talent with a strategic presence in major global entertainment hubs like San Francisco and Los Angeles, we are building a bridge.

Operating across both the US and Mexico allows us to blend different perspectives while accessing international markets. As an independent studio, we hold total creative control. This freedom allows us to build innovative, high quality experiences without the restrictions of rigid corporate structures.

The Indie Reality

Night Owl Duties

Getting here has not been easy. Right now, we are living two lives. By day, we work our everyday jobs, and by night, we transform into night owl developers. We balance this studio with our personal and professional responsibilities, meaning much of our development happens in our free time. We also operate entirely remotely. Our lead director currently lives in another country, which forces us to navigate different time zones and rely heavily on digital communication.

But this reality only proves our team's dedication. Despite the logistical challenges, the project continues to advance because of the intense passion of every team member. This game is our heartfelt attempt at creating something entirely our own, and we are incredibly excited to do so.

We are sharing this journey because we want to connect with you. Your support in any form, whether it is following our progress, sharing our posts, or playing our game, is greatly appreciated and will make a huge difference for our project. Every game we make is an opportunity to explore new ways to tell stories, and we cannot wait to share what we have been working on.

Welcome to Trapped Cat.