London-based startup Moth has launched Quantum Backrooms, the first consumer game operating on actual quantum hardware, according to Quantum Computing Report.
The application is inspired by popular creepypasta and features a procedurally generated maze of office and utility rooms. Unlike traditional games, where randomness is created by pseudo-random algorithms, the levels here are formed using quantum processors.
Developers have linked the game mechanics to the architecture of QPU systems:
- individual qubits are responsible for sections of the map;
- quantum entanglement determines the structure and connections between locations;
- the environment changes depending on the state of the quantum system.
The project utilizes existing installations from IBM and IQM. Moth emphasized that the game remains platform-independent and can operate on various quantum backends.
Currently, Quantum Backrooms is available to a limited number of users as part of alpha testing. A public release is planned for late 2026.
Quantum Equivalent of Early AI Applications
The company compared the launch of Quantum Backrooms to early consumer experiments in generative AI, such as DALL-E and Magenta. The project’s goal is to present quantum computing not as a laboratory technology but as a tool for a mass audience.
Besides the game itself, Moth is developing a low-code/no-code platform for creating quantum applications without deep theoretical knowledge and technical skills. The company aims to build an ecosystem of consumer products around quantum computing before the industry achieves full hardware fault tolerance.
Back in May, experts questioned D-Wave’s claim of achieving quantum supremacy.