It’s not every day you see an extremely niche subgenre of adult fanfiction and doujinshi make its way into a commercial video game for consoles, yet here we are. Japanese game company Idea Factory has announced a new project belonging to the omegaverse genre, developed by its label for women’s romance games Otomate. Not much is known about the nature of the project, but its teaser video starts with a Nintendo Switch logo, and the few lines describing its premise have been enough to trigger an uproar of excitement, criticism and confusion alike.
For the uninitiated, omegaverse is a genre of (most often) erotic fiction that assigns humans “secondary genders” such as alpha, beta and omega, mimicking now debunked theories about the social dynamics of wolves. In most omegaverse settings, alpha individuals are born dominant and aggressive, while omegas are naturally submissive and fertile – regardless of biological sex. This last point makes omegaverse closely tied to gay fiction, as it allows authors to explore topics such as male pregnancy.
That’s where Otomate’s new project takes an unexpected turn. Titled Otomate Verse Project, the title’s setting is described as a heterosexual omegaverse, telling “an intense and heart-wrenching adult love story between men and women.”
This detail is what has resulted in very mixed reactions to Otomate Verse Project’s announcement among both Japanese and English-speaking fans. While some people are simply excited to see a prominent developer in the otome game genre explore a niche trope originally born from fandom culture, others are critical, viewing it as a forced “repurposing” of a popular BL (boy’s love) genre.
On the other hand, some people are simply confused as to how the game will work, or more specifically, in what ways Otomate plans to capitalize on the characteristics of omegaverse within an otome game format. Since otome games usually feature a female (self-insert) protagonist and several male love interests to pursue and be pursued by, some are wondering whether this means the male leads will be omegas that the female alpha protagonist can court and impregnate.
On the other hand, Otomate Verse Project’s teasers also mention “sweet scents,” which could mean the developers are planning to lean into characters releasing and being influenced by pheromones – another popular mechanism of omegaverse fiction. They seem aware they’re bending some “rules,” as they comment, “unlike traditional omegaverse settings, this project uses a new omegaverse setting specifically adapted for Otomate titles.” This could also mean that the game might not be so heavy on the baby-making aspect, though we’ll have to wait and see until more details are revealed.
Further updates on Otomate Verse Project are expected to drop during the Dessert de Otomate 2026 fan event on February 15, 2026.
Related: Japanese otome game developers avoid black loading screens for a genius reason
