A Socks the Cat-Inspired Video Game Exists—and You Can Own It

During Bill Clinton’s presidency, the real star of the White House was Socks the Cat, a black-and-white rescue kitty the family adopted in 1991. The First Feline became such a cultural phenomenon that books, postage stamps, and TV show episodes were created in his honor. According to Game Informer, Socks also inspired a long-lost, never-released video game—and now, a Kickstarter campaign wants to bring it to the masses.

Socks the Cat was developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the 1990s, and it was reportedly completed and reviewed by media outlets. Gamers were to play as America’s most famous feline, navigating a White House fraught with dogs, politicians, and spies. But when the game’s publisher closed down, their ode to the presidential kitty disappeared. In subsequent years, people questioned whether the game was ever finished—or if it even existed.

In 2011, a private video game collector uploaded video footage of Socks the Cat onto YouTube, and—predictably enough—the gaming world noticed. Another collector, Tom Curtin, was lucky enough to purchase the only known copy of Socks. He also acquired the rights, and joined forces with retro video game publisher Second Dimension to fine-tune the game for official release.

Second Dimension recently launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for the project, and they're aiming to reach $30,000 by Tuesday, November 8. Pledges of $40 or more will score you a Super Nintendo cartridge of Socks the Cat ($20 will get you a version to play on an emulator), and you’ll receive additional goodies if you contribute extra cash. If the game receives full funding, it’s slated for a July 2017 release—thankfully, long after election season is over.

[h/t Game Informer]

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