Mewgenics has been a smashing success for co-creators Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel, that much can’t be argued against. Not only has the game managed to become one of the most played roguelites on Steam, but it was also a financial success too, bringing in enough cash to fund the game’s development costs just three hours after it launched.
It’s been pretty popular on social media and on streaming platforms, but there is one rather unsavory part of the game that has drawn a lot of criticism recently, and that’s the game’s guest cameos. Rather than have a bunch of generic meows, McMillen and Glaiel wanted a range of internet celebrities from over the years to add their own meows to the game, and to say that some of these individuals are controversial would be a bit of an understatement.
Be Careful Save Scumming In Mewgenics, Or Steven Will Threaten To Burn Your House Down
Mr Resetti (AKA Steven) has a few choice words for people who quit Mewgenics mid-battle.
To just throw a few names out there, you have Hilda and Ethan Klein, two YouTubers that have been regularly criticized for their views on the Israel-Palestine conflict, while you also have Christine Chandler, an internet personality who was arrested on incest charges back in 2021, though they were eventually dismissed two years later. You even have more recent controversial figures too, such as Matan Even, who you will probably know as that one guy who shouted about Bill Clinton on stage at The Game Awards that one time.
Mewgenics Co-Creator Defends The Game’s Controversial Cameos
Understandably, people aren’t particularly keen to play a game that has people they deem unsavory or unpleasant meowing in their ears, so the inclusion of these people has drawn some ire.
Now, co-creator Edmund McMillen has spoken about some of the controversy with Rock, Paper, Shotgun, giving a range of answers regarding the inclusions of certain people. In the interview, McMillen explains that he deliberately attempted to “include and keep [cameos] that clashed or kinda counterbalanced each other”, as he wanted people with “different beliefs.”
To prove this, McMillen points to the inclusion of iDubbbz and Anisa, two YouTubers that have been having a very public feud with Hilda and Ethan Klein over the past year. He also says that the game’s cameos have been set in stone for a while, with Ethan’s lines having been recorded four years ago.
While it’s absolutely understandable for people to not want to play Mewgenics because of the people involved, it does seem as though the cameo list is a result of the long, long development cycle that the game underwent, and a lot can happen in 10 years. It’s not done with malice, but it is an unfortunate situation to have so many people from the internet’s history have become somewhat problematic over the years.
- Released
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February 10, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
- Publisher(s)
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Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
