Katanaut was released at a very unfortunate time — in September, between two major releases. Despite the interest on Steam, the game failed to attract an audience.
September became a hot month for gaming. At the beginning of the month, Hollow Knight: Silksong was released, which caused such an influx of players that digital platforms could barely cope with the load. And on September 25, 2025, Hades 2 version 1.0 was released.
Between the high-profile premieres, on September 10, Katanaut appeared — a combat "roguelike" that collected 52 thousand additions to the wishlist. But the release went almost unnoticed. The developer wrote on X: "Hi, I'm Eugene. Finished my first game — Katanaut. In 10 months — 52 thousand on the wishlist. Released it between Silksong and Hades 2. Peak number of players — 11."
Earlier, analysts noted that the number of additions to the wishlist does not always predict success. The activity of the audience in social networks and discussions is more important. In the case of Katanaut, the interest turned out to be deceptive — and the proximity to two high-profile releases played against it.
Until November 7, the game is sold with a 25% discount for 480 rubles, but this did not help much: at the peak, only 34 people played the game on Steam (the record at the start was 83). At the same time, the reviews are positive — 91% of almost 150 reviews. Players call Katanaut a "descendant of Doom and Dead Cells."
