Spider-Man: Miles Morales is one of the most anticipated games of the fall release calendar, and not just because you get to pet cats in it. There are plenty of games in which you can pet cats, including another new release in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. But in the new Spider-Man, which on Thursday helped Sony kickstart its PlayStation 5 console era, you get to pet cats and also reference a very funny internet meme along the way.
Miles Morales has gotten considerable buzz amid the new console launch, and as fans have dug into the game they noticed something particular about a scene where Miles gets to pet a cat. Namely, that he says the cat he encounters in a bodega “takes a pet like no problem.” Fans noticed that and shared it online on launch day.
https://twitter.com/CanYouPetTheDog/status/1327059983113056257
The reason? It’s eerily similar to a video of a man petting a cat in a bodega that went viral because he said the same phrase in praise of that cat’s willingness to be petted.
https://twitter.com/bodegacats_/status/1080971811968315392?lang=en
There was a lot of speculation about whether the scene was a direct reference to the video or, you know, just something that people say when they encounter good cats in bodegas. But Ben Arfmann, the lead writer on Miles Morales, noticed some folks talking about that particular scene and confirmed that, yes, that was a reference to a very good video about an equally good cat.
It makes me really happy that you guys made this connection.
— Ben Arfmann (@BenArfmann) November 13, 2020
He then shared the video, calling it a “career highlight.”
Career highlight. That's a great cat right there. https://t.co/Cf8nUBmW5f
— Ben Arfmann (@BenArfmann) November 13, 2020
It’s very fun to see something that’s popular on the internet get replicated in real life. And if this kind of attention to detail exists throughout all of Miles Morales, gamers are in for a lot of fun these next few weeks.