Gatsby is a real dog. He is asleep about four feet from me as I write this. The challenge was making the game Gatsby feel like that Gatsby — warm, a little silly, undeniably himself.

He started as a flat storybook illustration, mood by mood: idle, sitting, walking, sleepy, and a full-body celebration leap. Those carried the game for a long time, and honestly they’re still my favorites.

But I wanted you to be able to turn him around.

From drawing to dog

So the idle illustration became a real 3D model — a textured little fellow you can drag to orbit, who bobs and breathes on a slow turntable and starts off facing you, because of course he does. Tap him and he hops, wags, and says something delighted.

A wardrobe situation

Then came the part I didn’t expect to love so much: cosmetics. A bandana. A bowtie. A pair of rainbow wings. Each one is baked right into its own version of the model, so it sits perfectly instead of floating awkwardly above his head.

And Gatsby isn’t the only star here. Tachi — our other real Cavalier — joins as a second companion you can walk with, so nobody ever has to go it alone.

There’s a lot more I could say about the fiddly bits, but the test that matters is simpler than any of it: my wife tapped the screen, Gatsby bounced, and she laughed. Shipped.