It's out.
Omniquarium went live on Steam today at $4.99. Eight months of work, three major pivots, and one extremely questionable decision to rewrite the fish AI two weeks before launch.
What We Built
The core loop is simple: stock a tank, balance the ecosystem, earn visitors, unlock new species. What we didn't expect was how much depth emerged from the simulation. Players have already found edge cases in the territory system we didn't document anywhere — apparently putting two dominant species in one tank creates a standoff that permanently locks both their stress stats. We're calling it a feature.
What's Next
We're monitoring the launch week numbers before committing to a roadmap, but the things we're most excited to add:
- Saltwater tanks — a second biome with entirely different species and mechanics
- Rare events — a comet fish, a bioluminescent night mode, seasonal visitors
- Achievements — we have five ready that just need to be wired into Steamworks
Thank you to everyone who wishlisted and to the handful of people who found us through random browsing. You know who you are.
— Refract