Skip to main content

So long, 2020, and thanks for all the fish food | Creature Comforts

We're off until the new year, but figured our readers could use one more gallery of developer pet pictures before we go

Welp, this is it. Unless big news breaks, this should be the last article that GamesIndustry.biz publishes in 2020, and we can think of no better way to wrap it up than with a Creature Comforts column.

But before we get to the pet pictures, lets dig into the data. Here's a chart pulled from our 2020 Year in Numbers feature showing the breakdown of pet pictures from the first five Creature Comforts columns:

Yes, GamesIndustry.biz is a respected and credible journalism outlet, why do you ask?

There are some caveats here. First, we're dealing with a small sample size of just 457 pets, so there's only so much confidence we can have in our takeaways. Second, we recognize that the avenues we are soliciting pet pictures through -- asking for submissions on Twitter and in these columns, asking PR people to compile pics from their clients/employers -- may be biasing the results. Frankly, we suspect a much larger contingent of you has resorted to putting googly eyes on household appliances and treating them as pets, but our outreach efforts have simply missed this cohort thus far.

I mean, we can't even make a "This industry has gone to the dogs" joke with any authority, given that this sixth Creature Comforts column features 100 pets, more than half of which are cats. Clearly, more data is needed before we can draw firm conclusions.

Unfortunately, what we can say a bit more authoritatively is that we have gone through our backlog of games industry pet pictures. If you've submitted a pet pic and haven't seen it despite a thorough search of the Creature Comforts archives, there are a few reasons we might not have run it. It may have been too small or low-resolution. We might not have had all the information we needed to attribute it. We might have just messed up and misplaced it.

Or you might have submitted dozens and dozens of pictures of the same pet, which was very much appreciated and made our days nicer, but we felt we could really only run one picture per pet in the interest of fairness. (If this applies to you, please don't feel called out here; you had lots of company.)

Regardless, our supply of Creature Comforts pictures is low, but we think demand for them will remain high well into 2021. If you're able to help, please send your pet pictures -- along with the pets' names and your name and title -- to news@gamesindustry.biz.

Thank you for your help, take care, and best wishes for 2021 from the GamesIndustry.biz team.

Mei, submitted by Gaggle Studios co-founder Simon Chu
Poe, submitted by Gaggle Studios co-founder Simon Chu
Apollo, submitted by BetaJester co-director Adam Boyne
Banjo (left) and Martha, submitted by Silent Games CEO Sally Blake
Betty, submitted by Lockwood Publishing technical director Simon O'Connor
Angel, submitted by Yacht Club Games COO Sunni Pavlovic
Yossarian, submitted by Yacht Club Games artist Sandy
Polly, submitted by Shannon and Ian, Yacht Club Games operations manager and gameplay programmer
Durnehviir, submitted by TriplePoint PR account executive Alyx Evans
Arya, submitted by EA Sports senior producer Andrei Lazarescu
Barley and Rye, submitted by PopCap Seattle QA manager Jared Karklins
Boo, submitted by EA Vancouver senior researcher James Berg
Ellie, submitted by Maxis Austin designer Jordan Peterson
Hancock, submitted by DICE Los Angeles studio project manager Catheryn Grant
Harvey, submitted by BioWare Austin analytics manager Kim Dorman
Ori, submitted by EA Galway live quality analyst Johanna
Harvey Dent, submitted by EA Galway live quality analyst Johanna
Jemma, submitted by PopCap Seattle server engineer Fran
Lil Mama and Mando, submitted by BioWare Austin denior game product manager Patrick Driggett
Link, submitted by BioWare Austin senior systems designer Steven Engle
Maverick, submitted by EA Tiburon game designer Brian Waggoner
Clockwise from upper left, Lord Mirin Purrywrinkle Esquire, Tsar Seamus Arntchabald 'Beefcake' Squatbuttnikov, Cleocatra Jones 'Tookie' L'Amuse-Boushh Duchess of Gourdbottom, and Empurror Napoléon Bonapaw, Heir of Thingamajig, submitted by BioWare Austin associate outsource artist Phred Newman
Kora, submitted by Slitherine Ltd. social media manager Bruno Bontempo
Loki, submitted by Alyx Jones, dialogue editor at Liquid Violet
Louie (left) and Nellie, submitted by Big Huge Games COO Judith Hoffman
Moogie, submitted by KO_OP community manager Marcela Huerta
Naruto, submitted by CNDG 3D artist Eric von Berner
Bella, submitted by Phoenix Labs senior designer Greg Hennessey
Licorice, submitted by Phoenix Labs senior designer Greg Hennessey
Ruby, submitted by Phoenix Labs senior designer Greg Hennessey
Captain Jack Harkness, submitted by Phoenix Labs UX director Isaac Epp
Feisty and Zen, submitted by Phoenix Labs director of production Lindz Williamson Christy
Harriet, submitted by Phoenix Labs external development manager Dave Sanderson
Ursus, submitted by Phoenix Labs senior programmer Brent Scriver
Macho, submitted by Phoenix Labs writer Cory Herndon
Bellatrix, submitted by Leah McKenzie
Billie, submitted by games media freelancer Aiden Strawhun
Jibber, submitted by games media freelancer Aiden Strawhun
Jiabber, submitted by games media freelancer Aiden Strawhun
Mochi, submitted by games media freelancer Aiden Strawhun
Brodie, submitted by Airborne Kingdom designer Zach Mumbach
Charles Xavier (left, aka Charlie) and Akira Mun (Aki), submitted by Autistica games partnerships manager Jake Mackey
Coco, submitted by Games Press technical director Steve Owen
Rosa, submitted by Double Eleven IT support engineer Lewis Rafferty
Cynder, submitted by Double Eleven Unity developer Philip Lewis
Ellie, submitted by Double Eleven Unity developer Philip Lewis
Ditto, submitted by Minecraft Dungeons game designer Cara Hudson
Tilly, submitted by Minecraft Dungeons junior environment artist Stewart Morrison
Eleanor, submitted by Clarum, A Dream Sim developer Jeremy W. Kaufman
Encased QA team member Lyssa Siber Moon (Lyssa for short), submitted by the Black Tower Team
Ghibli, submitted by Dreamloop Games head of communications Steve Stewart
Henry, submitted by Big Blue Bubble marketing director Michael Hammond
Hurley, submitted by Gun Interactive director of communications Daniel Nixon
Jack Jack, submitted by Gun Interactive lead community developer Matthew Szep
Jonesy, submitted by Gun Interactive customer service lead Melissa Hickman
Kaya, submitted by Gun Interactive customer service lead Melissa Hickman
Steve, submitted by Gun Interactive customer service lead Melissa Hickman
Jadie, submitted by Brett from Noodlecake
Jareth, submitted by GamingTrend community manager Kay Purcell
Opie, submitted by GamingTrend community manager Kay Purcell
Kramer, submitted by Playstark Games designer Javi Gutiérrez
Maisy and Noodle, submitted by nDreams finance director designate Neil Bancroft-Jones
Tiger, submitted by nDreams chief people officer Tamsin O'Luanaigh
Mushu and Cao, submitted by esports host and games producer Abby Sherlock
Sadie, submitted by esports host and games producer Abby Sherlock
Panda, submitted by freelance producer Myriame Lachapelle
Boubou, submitted by freelance producer Myriame Lachapelle
Olive, submitted by Cesca
Oni, submitted by Humble Games publishing producer Erika Mariko Olsen
Panda, submitted by RocketRide Games VP of business development Kirk Scott
Poppy, submitted by 4J Studios lead software developer Vince Finlayson
Rex, submitted by Soundcuts founder Adele Cutting
Roop, submitted by Wonacott Communications PR senior account executive Nick LaTona
Snow White, submitted by Clever Endeavour community manager and QA Geneviève Leblanc
Poe, submitted by TriplePoint PR account coordinator Sara Gren
Artemis, submitted by Seth Parker, sound designer and composer at Young Horses
Aries, submitted by PUBG Corp design director James
Link, submitted by PUBG Corp software engineer Andy
Luna, submitted by PUBG Corp product manager Alison
Ramsay, submitted by PUBG Corp senior environment artists Brandon
Sailor, submitted by PUBG Corp senior manager of IP licensing Arsenio
Reginald, submitted by Bossa Studios technical producer Stijn Vervaet
Chao, submitted by narrative designer Rokashi
Ginger, submitted by Splash Damage personal assistant Reema Ishaque
Nate, submitted by Splash Damage gameplay programmer Nicolas d'Offay
Pippin, submitted by Splash Damage lead online engineer Tristan Cartledge
Rocky, submitted by Splash Damage head of HR Kate Lindsay
Triskele (left) and and Cernunnos, submitted by Xbox Studios Quality Michelle Hyde

Read this next

Brendan Sinclair avatar
Brendan Sinclair: Brendan joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2012. Based in Toronto, Ontario, he was previously senior news editor at GameSpot.
Related topics