The Chrome Abyss: Hybrid Uprising began as a simple question: what if a card game could grow into a living universe? What started as an experiment in deck-building and strategy has evolved into a broader ambition — to create a world that unfolds over time, shaped by systems, stories and the people who engage with it. A story world set in a future where humanity survives through adaptation, hybridisation and expansion across planets and galaxies. This page is about that journey: where the idea came from, where the project is now, and where we’re aiming to take it next.
The Chrome Abyss was conceived as more than a standalone game. From the beginning, the goal has been to design a system that invites story exploration — mechanically, narratively and thematically. A place where strategy and story reinforce each other, and where fragments slowly assemble into something larger.
At the heart of the project is a competitive deck-building card game. Cards represent factions, technologies, hybrids and conflicts within the Abyss — each one a small window into a bigger world.
The card game is the foundation, not the limit. The world of the Chrome Abyss is designed to support future expansions: new games, new mechanics, new narratives, and potentially other formats — digital, physical or narrative — as the universe grows.
The Chrome Abyss is currently in an active prototyping phase. Core mechanics are being tested, refined and challenged, while the foundations of the world are taking shape alongside the gameplay. This stage is deliberately hands-on and iterative — focused on learning what works before locking anything in.
Early versions of the game are being tested to explore balance, pacing and strategic depth. Feedback from playtests helps shape both the mechanics and the way the world is revealed through play.
Alongside the mechanics, the narrative and visual language of the Chrome Abyss are being developed. Factions, themes and tensions are shaped through world-building and storytelling, creating a universe that invites people in.
The aim is to launch the first playable version of The Chrome Abyss: Hybrid Uprising later this year. But launch is not the end goal — it’s the beginning of a longer conversation with players, collaborators and the community forming around the world we’re building, and the stories still waiting to unfold.
The roadmap ahead focuses on continued testing, refinement and clarity, as well as printing. Mechanics will be tightened, the experience will be streamlined, and the entry point into the world will be made more inviting.
Community input and community building plays a key role in the journey ahead. Feedback, ideas and responses help guide both the game and the universe, shaping what the Chrome Abyss becomes over time.
While the card game is the primary focus, the Chrome Abyss is designed with openness in mind. The world leaves room for future experiments — new formats, stories and experiences that build on the same foundations.
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