Battle Cat has 7 million downloads but still can’t speak English

Japanese tower defense game Battle Cat has achieved 7 million downloads according to its most recent update on Google Play. Its latest version 2.0.5 was released just a couple of days ago, which unfortunately didn’t provide the English version that many fans hoped for. After three months, Battle Cat 2 is still only in available in Japanese.

For a game of such popularity, it is not surprising to find complaints in the Google Play store. After doing some digging, we also realized that the English version of the original Battle Cat is also missing. While there has never been an English Battle Cat 2, there used to be an English version of the first game, but now that one’s missing from both the Google Play and App Store too, meaning that English-language gamers are now completely out of luck.

A Battle Cat commenter said on Google Play:

I love this game, but since the update I can’t play it because I can’t read it. Please translate into English.

We have reached out to Ponos, creator of Battle Cat, to find out what happened and will update if we hear back.

While it remains a mystery why the English version was removed, what we do know is that Ponos didn’t quite expect Battle Cat to be a hit outside of Japan. Ponos explained to Startup Dating back in May this year:

I didn’t think of Battle Cats as a hit outside of Japan before. I must say I’m surprised myself. We are currently examining how to appeal to a broader audience, outside of Asia, where people know less about Japan and might have trouble connecting with the various places, treasures and characters.

Battle Cat has garnered a lot of interest among English-speaking casual gamers, so it’s a shame to learn that longtime international fans can no longer enjoy the game in a language they can understand.

We also learned that Ponos is selling Battle Cat merchandise, but it remains to be seen if that venture will attain success.

Battle Cat is a simple tower defense game in which players must defend their tower by summoning an army of cats to destroy the enemy’s tower. The game makes use of the Nyan Cat meme, which suits its Japanese/Asian cutesy vibe and wacky sense of humor. Ponos has also incorporated a clever viral loop mechanism in the game, in which seasoned gamers can provide codes for new players to gain free experience, thereby enticing newbies to join in.

Readers who want to try out Battle Cat version 2 can download it on Google Play or the App Store.