Why Katun exists.

A katun is a shepherds' summer settlement. In May the herd goes up; in November it comes back down to the village. Our studio is named after a mountain massif in eastern Montenegro, the Komovi, the plural of "Kom". The game is set where the name comes from: on a summer pasture under the three peaks of Kom.

From the start the idea was a small place in the mountains that is yours. Your steps walk the herd up. Calm minutes by the fire, at the spring and on the stone keep the katun warm, and in the evening Baba tells a tale, most of them freely retold from the region's folk tales.

Body and mind

In the concept we set two inputs. The body gives steps, quietly through the day. The mind gives calm minutes that you start yourself: a timer by the fire, breathing at the spring, sitting and looking on the stone. Each input feeds a different part of the world, and neither is required. Someone who only walks has a full katun, and so does someone who only sits quietly. If you are not much on your feet, your wheelchair distance or your calm minutes carry the herd up instead.

Made for parents too

Katun is made for parents too: a way to step away from work, then from the day-to-day, and switch off for a moment. One of the places in the app is the gate for that reason. In the evening you count the herd home, one by one, and Lutalica always comes in last. It is a small ritual that closes the day.

Nothing nags

Nothing dies, nothing spoils, nothing nags. A missed day is just a day: the herd rests, and when you come back the fire burns twice as warm for a while. There are no streaks to break and no penalties. This has been one of the rules from the start: a game meant for calm minutes must not become a chore itself.

The feeling we were after is a wool blanket that keeps you warm. The game even has one: the year's blanket lies in the chest, and with Katun Pro you can print it.

How it looks

The pictures come from the game itself, paper by day and hearthlight at night. How that works is in the note "Drawing a mountain in code".

Nikola Marković · November 2026

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