I don't know this for a fact, but it seems like the creators of Isotopium: Chernobyl grew up watching Wargames and thought, "Damn, that seems like a pretty good idea!"
Isotopium is a new browser based game in which players take control of real life drones in a tiny recreation of the Chernobyl. The game involves driving around to explore the city and collect energy, which rewards you with additional game time.
The developers describe Isotopium as the world's first "Remote Reality" game and, even as a novelty, we have to admit it's pretty cool. The game was created in a 2 year period and launched in alpha during the fall of 2018. Currently, there is one arena to play in, a 210-meter replica of Chernobyl, and the developers are looking for investors and partners in order to expand to new arenas.
The object of the game is to collect containers filled with "isotope energy" absorbed from Chernobyl. This is particularly dangerous work and essential to the survival of future society, so drones have been employed to collect the energy. The developers promise "dangerous and exciting adventures" in Isotopium and remind us that "Chernobyl was a closed zone for many years, and it contains many secrets and many surprises."
To that effect, there are a number of "artifacts" to find throughout the play area, which the devs say are actual, real life items found in ruins of Chernobyl. Beyond the dangers, players also need to solve riddles, compete with other players for energy, and fight for survival by piloting 12-inch RC cars from anywhere in the world.
We haven't had a chance to dig into Isotopium yet, but you may have seen Lirik streaming the game earlier this week. He had a lot of fun exploring a hall of mirrors, ramming other drones, and collecting energy in the game.
It may be the first of it's kind, but if this is leading to full on Battle Bots I'm totally on board. Maybe we will finally get some vindication for the abysmal giant robot war from a couple of years ago too. A boy can dream...