The Cat and the Coup was developed over a three-year period and was funded in part by
The Advancing Scholarship for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Game Innovation Lab at the
University of Southern California. Over the course of its development, it received multiple awards, including
IndieCade's documentary game award; it was a finalist for the Nuovo award at the
Independent Games Festival and Runner Up for the Knight News Game award at
Games for Change.
The Cat and the Coup is considered an example of "eccentric history" by
Steve F. Anderson in his book
Technologies of History: Film, Television and the Eccentricity of the Past (Dartmouth 2011), which features an image from the game on its cover. He writes, “What makes
The Cat and the Coup exemplary from a historiographical perspective is its striking adherence to, and departures from, the historical record." The game is noted for "using factually grounded sources such as
New York Times headlines," while also positioning players in the imaginary role of Mosaddegh's cat, whose inability to control the course of history serves as "a metaphor for the uncertainty of historical outcomes." ==References==