Ubisoft Announces 'Atomega' Shooter From 'Grow Home' Studio

Ubisoft announced that its Reflections studio, which created Grow Home and Grow Up, has developed a new online first-person shooter called Atomega that tasks you with collecting mass to grow from an itty-bitty Atom to a much more powerful Omega. (Hence the name.)

Atomega follows several trends in the current gaming market. It's multiplayer-focused, features a unique art style, and is centered on bursts of action that take place in quick matches. See also: Overwatch, LawBreakers, Breakaway, and many other new or upcoming titles. Given the fast-paced matches and vibrant graphics, it also wouldn't be surprising for Ubisoft to push Atomega towards streaming or even some kind of esport.

The question is how Ubisoft plans to make Atomega stand out from the crowd. It's not easy for new games to break in to this competitive shooter market: LawBreakers' number of average players over the last 30 days sits at around 500, at least on Steam, and that game debuted in August. Amazon has kept Breakaway in alpha for a while as it tries to make the game stream-worthy. And even Overwatch's audience has fluctuated.

It seems like Ubisoft might lean on the Reflections studio's sense of humor. Here's what the company said in its announcement of Atomega:

Up to eight players can duke it out in 10-minute rounds, gathering mass, losing it, and building it up again over the course of the skirmish. In addition to earning you points which determine the ultimate winner of the round, gaining mass will allow you to change up your strategy on the fly. The dynamic competitive action will be suffused with the lighthearted tone characteristic of the Reflections team.

The announcement also opened with a question about what "an advanced post-biological lifeform" is supposed to do in "a world where reality is rapidly dissolving and the universe is coming apart." It's clear that Ubisoft doesn't want to position Atomega as a Serious Game for Serious People. Instead, between the humorous premise and neon art style, it seems Atomega will aim for a more casual (and even childish) audience.

Atomega will debut on PC on September 19.