Atmosphir Jumps On Unity Platform For Awesome In-Browser Gaming World
Michael Arrington
Mar 4, 2010

Atmosphir, a game platform and world by Minor Studios, was first unveiled to the world at TechCrunch50 in 2008. It’s an ambitious project – users can create their own games, block by block, release them on the platform and then play and share them with others. Players create and customize a single avatar and use it to play the various games that others have created.

In the initial beta users needed to download software to build and play Atmosphir games. Last year the company decided to move to the Unity platform to allow for in-browser game creation and playing. Unity does require a plugin, but the experience is significantly lighter on the client.

Game creators have nearly unlimited freedom to create worlds from whatever they imagine. Games can be combat or puzzle based (or both), multi-user or not, and an audience of users will jump in and try out whatever new levels/games are built immediately.

This is still a beta project with a long waiting list, and the company is just starting to move existing users to the new platform. But if you’re a game designer and want in now, we have ten designer accounts to give away. Just let us know in the comments why you think you’d be a good choice for one. Check out the video below for an idea of what Atmosphir is all about.

Advertisement
  • Related Topics
Advertisement
  • http://www.techretold.com Shan

    Though not a gaming designer I need this one to build my virtual city based on a real city..

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=613518863 Gebadia Smith

    It would be cool to build a game with this for the narrative I am acting…parallel realities.. magic…

  • andrew

    Awesome. The more plugins available to make browsers more powerful, the better. We don’t want to be limited to HTML and javascript, or the pipe dream that is HTML5.

  • http://Intheworks Everett

    I would love to give this a shot. I have some experience in game testing as well as design. The concept behind this is truly revolutionary and I would love to be a part of this project. Why should you give me a beta code? So companies like Activision don’t ruin gaming. (Search the Activision / Infinity Ward battle currently playing out.)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1647382968 Jason Beckom

    I have never designed a computer game, but I’ve grown up with games and have designed several games. I’ve created my own role-playing systems, card games, and board games ever since I was 12 years old.

    I work in IT and web management, but there is not much room for imagination or initiative. I’d gladly stay flooded with support tasks and web content requests for the rest of my life to support my family, maybe even someday make it to California.

    But I can dream for something better, anything good to make my mark on the world.

  • indiegamedev

    UNITY RULES.

  • http://www.links-2-fun.con umaxtu

    An overview/review of Atmosphir would make some very interesting subject matter for my blog and my YouTube Channel. Finally I can make my dream game with rabbid bowling balls chasing biker doughnuts through an active warzone! By the way I could use some name ideas for said game.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=811620315 Waqar Azim

    Hi,

    I’ve played Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 ctf for a long long time. I would really like to make some CTF maps for the game. I am currently working as a lead artist at Playdom, if that makes giving me a designer account a good idea :)

    Peace,
    Waqar

  • indiegamedev

    I am actually a unity dev and would love to check out what they have done with this amazing game engine.

  • Jeff

    cool story bro

  • Steve Benjamins

    I’d be perfect for an account, this would work perfectly for a game some buddies and I from Flickr are working on called “Glitch” (it’s just like this game of giant imagination) … anyways we were going to make it 2d but now we can make it 3d! this is perfect timing!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=731545472 Trent Petronaitis

    Ooo that looks cool, I wouldn’t mind an account- play around with a few blocks and make something awesome.

  • Frustr8TOR

    I waited so long for this game and still waiting. I even sketched Ideas I had for my levels on paper. I suscribed to their atmosphir acount on youtube and became fan of them on facebook. I so want that game. It rocks!

  • Frustr8TOR

    (I LOVE LEGOS!)

  • Dan

    I am a teacher working on creating online game design courses for middle school and high school students. Atmosphir looks great tool to understand and lay the foundation for good game design without the high hurdle of needing to learn the details of coding which can come later. Signed up for the beta but haven’t heard back. Very interested in exploring the possibilities soon. Thanks for opportunity.

  • monstergamer101

    Hey guys! I am proud to say that I am one of the many many beta testers for atmosphir.. It’s a really good game to try out you would be so lucky to get an invite to atmosphir. It has improved a lot over the years and I a. Very happy I was there since the very beggining. Well take Care…

  • http://LionArchDevCo.com Lionel Archuleta

    I think I’d be a good choice for a designer account because I currently make games and apps for the iPhone and would like to be one of the first developers to take Atmosphir to the iPhone. I’ve very excited about Atmosphir and look forward to creating some incredible worlds.

  • mzo

    As a former beta tester and now refugee of both Metaplace and There I’m looking for good new platforms to ply my game design chops. Have been eyeballing Unity already but would love to give this a spin! Fluent in all the usual game making suspects like GameMaker, Game Salad, Construct and the classic Klik N Play I’d really like to have a 3D platform to work with as well. Beta invite would give me a good headstart! Pweeassse :D

  • Gary1 (Atmosphir Tester)

    It’s good to see Atmosphir being recognized on other sites. Great article.

  • Gary1 (Atmosphir Tester)

    All who don’t test Atmosphir: you might want this picture to get a better idea of it:

    http://i50.tinypic.com/wlt4as.jpg

  • TravDude

    I reckon I would be a good choice becuase I have a big imagination but I dont have many things to let out all that imagination but with Atmosphir I could put all my creativity in my own game/world that I create. Expressing Creativity is what I really enjoy doing.

  • Steve Anderson

    I would love one of the Unity licenses. I’ve been looking at various Python game creating toolkits for a while now but haven’t found anything as comprehensive as I’d like. I’ve read Simon Wittber’s positive reviews of Unity and I would really like to give it a try for use in a free strategy game I’ve been working on.

  • http://www.rp.sg/courses/technologyarts/dgd/index.asp Ed Wong

    Hi,

    I’m currently running a Diploma in Game Design in Singapore. We’ve been using Atomsphir as a great way to get my students started in Game World Building and Level design. They loved it. One of these accounts will be a great way for the students and future students to continue to learn game design through Atmopshir. With Atmosphir now on the Unity platform this means our students can start learning to put their own games out there on browsers for others to enjoy and give valuable play-test feedback so as to help refine students’ design skills. Whether we are deserving of the game design accounts or not, Atmosphir can really make the difference to people getting to grips with game design concepts rapidly( whilst having fun doing so) without being afraid of nor mired by the technology/programming barriers when starting a computer game from scratch. This tool has helped out students immensely. It’s a great way to start learning game design. Way to go Minor Studios!

  • iloveunity

    steve,
    go to unity3d . com and get the FREE game engine.

  • http://stromlohs.act.edu.au/ Bruce

    Like one of the other posters above, I too am a teacher, but I am also a developer. I already use a few open-source tools in my classes with the kids to introduce them to various IT concepts, and one of those is games design and development. My target age range is 14-16 year olds, and this sort of thing looks like its not only simple but powerful – a great way to get kids enthused about games programming. Would love to get access to a beta account so I can begin planning a class around this idea, and also come up with ways teachers in other subject areas can begin having their students use this kind of tool to explore a variety of concepts.

  • thought

    Interesting. Looks like another competitor for Wild Pockets and Syntensity…

  • http://www.neonpencil.com.au David T

    Ain’t got no story to tell
    Just wanna create Atmosphir hell
    Stories of all those old Greek gods
    And heroes impaled on long sharp rods

    Or how about Pitfall Larry?
    The long lost brother of Pitfall Harry
    Dodging pits and scorpions too
    Collecting treasure for me and you

    If that’s not your bag then try indoors
    Running around on blocky floors
    Pick things up and put them down
    Solving puzzles without a frown.

    We all know I’m not a designer
    But with Atmosphir there’s nothing finer
    For the wanna be, aspiring gamer
    All other engines just look lamer

    :P

  • Rimantas Varanavicius

    I’m a product manager for one of software vendors for AEC market. However I wouldn’t be using the license myself. I’d like to give this app to my 7 year old daughter. She has been going to arts and music school since she was 2 years old. I constantly get surprised how open and creative her perception of surrounding world is. For example she can draw a painting with orange/red grass, green sky and a black/grey cat sitting in the middle of it and it looks great; or she can see a form of cute cat where I at first would only see a marsh:) (believe me, I‘m not saying that just because she‘s my daughter:))
    So I‘d like to give her the app, help getting started and see what might come out of it. We also have a two years old tester/evaluator. They should make a great team with some potentially very interesting results

    Cheers,
    Rimantas

  • brklynsurfer

    I would like a developer account so that I can share it with my HS students and encourage them to become creators of the future rather than just plain old consumers.

  • Dan Green

    I’ve played the first Atmosphir games, but during beta signup for the new platform I was busy with some computer issues, and I unfortunately I couldn’t get to sign up in time. I made a few good levels on Atmosphir and I’m just getting the hang of the start to finish kind of designing. If this account lets me submit levels to the website then I would like one to continue making my levels and stuff.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=131300075 Verious Benjamin Smith III

    @Andrew – have you heard of O3D http://bit.ly/aYGOKV. This was debuted at Google IO in 2009. O3D offers open source 3D rendering for the browser (all HTML & Javascript) You can create Life-like 3D environments and its pretty impressive. Right now its offered as a plug-in but they are working to get it in the standardized specs to have it as a W3C recommendation (then we may see browsers adopt this technology). I really believe we should do our best to eliminate as many plug-ins as possible. And as native web languages advance we’ll see less and less of them.

  • Brian D

    Every game app dev community needs somebody who has no idea about how to make games… The less I know, the less is impossible type thing.

    or

    Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!

  • http://www.ArticlePlayground.com/ Article Playground

    Sounds good!

  • Frustr8TOR

    Unity is free but you have to pay to get Unity pro or get it free for 30 days. with unity pro you can make wii games now.

  • http://www.daniioliver.info Danii Oliver

    Being an Interactive Flash Designer who’s job has no list or bounds I am asked everyday about the possibilities with in the online gaming and interactive world. I am not just asked but also required to create and present demos. Many times I can not produce what what is desired in the time frame of one afternoon but code and art have to be created from scratch, but with a program like Atmosphir it would totally be possible. I know for a fact once if given an account to demo this program, my company would buy the full version and use it with every client. This would aid my daily design work greatly!!

  • CWIS4

    I am a student ggoing into the computer sccience course next year. i have the original atmosphir and thee wait was well worth it. i am vert=y intrested in game progaming and my graphic arts teacher introduced only me to the site. It would be such an honor to get atmoshir, so that i can get a great look into my future career.
    cheers,
    cwis

  • Chuck

    Some of these comments seem kinda spammy…

  • http://babbl.org Dave

    I’d like to work with my son to build educational games that are super-fun for the kids to play. I think building the games gives children a great way to build up problem solving skills, and presents them to the software world in a more visual way.

    I’m as interested in the process of building a game or puzzle, as the ultimate playing of the game or puzzle. I think there is an intersection of building and playing that would be fun to explore.

  • Rifle

    Hey guys, I’m one of the beta testers in Atmosphir and I can truthfully say that this is the game of a lifetime. Good Luck getting in – maybe you’ll see me around.

    ~Rifleboythelpfan

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1268638038 Sekhar Ravinutala

    Yeah, Unity is fantastic – IMO one of the best, if not THE best for gaming on the web. I used to be resigned to Flash (with Papervision 3D or whatever) because everyone has the Flash plugin, but once I saw the quality/speed of Unity vs. Flash, it was a no-brainer.

    And the nice thing is, you can use Unity for a variety of things, not just games. E.g., see the road simulation we did recently for a road merging system (Mergex) at http://www.allurefx.com/Projects/Mergex/Mergex.html

  • http://robertgonsalves.com Robert Gonsalves

    I have a beta of the new environment – It is amazing and the opportunity to creative game design is very full feature. I look forward to the levels and designs that these 10 come up with and share with the community.

    I also want to point out how easy it is to design in this space – I am the father of a 4 and and a 6 year old, and we have been enjoying the multiplayer levels offered in this new build.

    Good luck to the developers chosen, and keep us posted to the levels you design.

  • Zabur (Atmosphir Tester)

    Yeah, it’s great! (And it’s funny what peoples reactions are to it as well – there is no way that the one guy would get a dev account.)

  • Bob

    I’m an amateur designer who would love to use this service to create games with non-traditional protagonists. I’d like to explore real-world situations from unique points of view to help people broaden their perspectives.

  • lawl

    I would be a great beta account tester because I’m a loser and live in my mom’s basement. I play lots of videos games and I like pie.

  • chris

    I’d be interested in checking this out as a precursor to designing a social game. This seems like a lower barrier to entry to encourage development and design of new ideas than designing an entire new platform and game.

  • Pathamesh

    I never designed a game. But if I get a chance I would like to design a game which will consist of almost everything, That is the game will be an entrance to multiple games and puzzles…Wherein anyone will be able to challenge each other on all game platforms in the single game, Protected by stringent controls which will be controlled by the player.

    In short, The game will be a virtual reality of sorts to the player, Wherein Player literally will live a virtual life…Way better than any adventurous ride.

  • Brian D

    Avatars with neckbeards… I say, NO !

  • ninjadingo21

    Im proud to say im a beta tester with a few extra accounts :D

    Ill be happy to answer any questions and to post screenshots :D

  • Doris

    i’m actually asking for a someone i mentor. Joe is a freshman in college who has a real passion for gaming (computer/consoles) and limited resources for pursuing his dream of becoming a game developer.
    I read techcrunch everyday and share your articles with students to interest them, but most articles tehy really enjoy are about gadgets they can’t afford. This beta account is not only inetresting, but could truly benefit him. Joe works in game shops to make spare money for games and learn about customer’s wants/needs for games. He talks about building games everyday i see him, and I want to help him in any way i can. If you’re willing, it would be a great opportunity to showcase his talent and even present it as part of his portfolio when looking for internships.

    Regardless, thank you for reading!

  • http://www.dramashack.com James N.

    I need this! :P

    Any chance of getting a Beta Key?

  • ninjadingo21

    oos, i was kiddin about the accounts, i AM NOT GIVING THEM AWAY.

  • ninjadingo21

    i dont even know why i posted that. im an idiot.

  • http://www,.zazzle.com/csprinks Bigdrip681

    Hey all this is Bigdrip681! I have been playing atmosphir for over a year(2 years? I don’t know. I lost count) and it’s been one hell of a ride! I have seen this game through the good times and the REALLY REALLY bad…. Let me tell you, if you are lucky enough to get one of these accounts your in for an amazing experience. This game was made by 12(13?) incredibly talented people who are always accessible and always around to help if you have problems and answer questions(And give up their holidays and weekends). We have an amazing helpful and creative community too so don’t be a stranger and say hi in the chatroom! :D See you there!

    The Big “D”

  • Timothy

    You should pick me because it will make me happy and I will make great levels! here are some of my Ideas…
    -mario kart map with moving karts
    -deathrun map with traps
    -multiplayer castle wars map (shoot blocks on the opponents castle to destroy it)
    -a box factory (lots of contraptions with boxes)
    -Start my own adventure
    -A moving boat (maybe make a boat wars)
    -make a dungeon with a moving floor all made of moving platforms
    AND MORE…

  • http://none Tyler

    Nice, i cant wait to play it!

  • http://bioselement.com/ William Chambers

    Nah, this has nothing on Syntensity.

  • http://www.littleleaguebaseballbats.net/?p=227 Endorsement Policy | Little League Baseball Bats

    [...] Atmosphir Jumps On Unity Platform For Awesome In-Browser Gaming World [...]

  • luke

    Please can i have an account i mean i have waited over 2 weeks and registered

  • lawl

    Indeed

  • jono seel

    hi atmosphir
    i think i should be a beta tester because i love creating gmaes and then playing them. i will play for many hours on end and report any problems.
    i plaued the orginal beta and oved it to but i lost my account. i really want to have a go at this new beta. i know ther only 10 places but i would love one of them so much so please could i have on of those accounts
    jono seel

  • Timothy

    I waited months…

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1431981150 Frederik Creemers

    I love this game because it does what I’ve always dreamed off, creating my own mario game, only without the mario character. I have even sent nintendo an e-mail, to suggest a mario level editor, but never got a serious reply.

    As a visually impaired, color in games is very important, for me to be able to play the game, there needs to be enough contast between the colors, that’s why dark games such as moest world ware games are hard for me. And Atmosphir really makes i possible for me to enjoy gaming, and game creation.

    thx MiSt.

  • SPEDY816

    I would say that I’m a proud sponsor of Atmosphir. I’ve told many friends about you guys and I’ve been bragging about you guys to every one at school. I would really appreciate it if you would consider putting me on your list. but I Know how you guys have to look through a lot of others, so if I must, i will increase my patience for a little more. but I hope that it will be worth the wait.

  • Harry

    I have been waiting forever to get this and now i finally can!!!
    I really want this game!

  • Harry

    Actually i’ve probably only waited a few months, but still…

  • http://Www.mrstucke.com Dan Stucke

    Teacher here with 20 11-16 year olds who would make great use of a beta account :)

  • Jiminy

    I’d be a good choice because i have a BS on Comp. Sci. and have been gaming heavily for nearly two decades.

  • jacksonspooky25

    I LOVE ATMOSPHIR!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Jacob

    I have had atmosphir for a lond time now and this is the best update they have done
    ATMOSPHIR FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://aleatory.clientsideweb.net/ rutherford

    I like a shot at this because from first impressions it seems the only games possible are basic 3rd person platformers.

    It’d be good to see how flexible the engine can get.

  • http://www.adva.com.ar/2010/03/09/dos-noticias-sobre-atmosphir-minor-studios/ Asociación de Desarrolladores de Videojuegos Argentina » Blog Archive » Dos noticias sobre Atmosphir / Minor Studios

    [...] para crear juegos online de Minor Studios, fue seleccionada finalista en GamesBeat@GDC. También escribe sobre ellos Michael Arrington en [...]

  • Brandon Davis

    I’m new to most of this, mt freind twitty showed me atmosphir, and he had me hooked since. im only 13 but have been interested in coputers since age 6, and would love a chance like this. also i want to try and bring this to the shcool, as i’m sure my classmates would rather do this then outdated sim city

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000183817614 Andrew Presley

    I think it is cool.I don’t no how to sign up

  • Musiphonix

    May I please be included, I’ve waited for the new stratosphir for more than 4 months. I’ve played the old atmosphir for two years now and I want access to the new one. Thank you!

  • austin jennison

    i think i would be a good game maker because i have made games from other donloads and i made pretty good games well as the coments say but i have been waiting for atmosphir to open up beta fo 4 mouthes

blog comments powered by Disqus
Advertisement
Got a tip? Building a startup? Tell us