Ex-Ubisoft and Creative Assembly staffer James Miller has announced Stellar Reach, a 4X space sim from his new studio Stelleas, and it’s due to arrive on PC this September.
Per a press release, Miller intends Stellar Reach to be “as rewarding for genre veterans as it is approachable for newcomers”, which is a hard sell; this is, after all, a famously complex genre, but perhaps Miller can truly straddle the line.
Miller and Stelleas promise “classic 4X gameplay across a real-scale, fully 3D star-system map”, so if you’re a fan of the likes of Stellaris or Sins of a Solar Empire, then you’re probably going to dig this one as well.
Stellar Reach will feature eight different factions, and Miller says each of them will have “unique tech trees and strategic approaches”. You can also look forward to three distinct victory paths: Supremacy, Prosperity, and Industrial Supremacy, which are all fairly self-explanatory.
There’s also a “comprehensive research system” in the game, which will grant you access to six tech trees and shared technologies that enable “strategic synergy”.
You’ll be able to exploit 13 different resource types across Stellar Reach‘s galaxy, and each will play “a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of your fleets, armies, and industries”, according to Miller and Stelleas.
Stellar Reach will also be taking place across “a fully 3D starfield”, although whether or not that means the game will feature Homeworld-style Z-axis combat remains to be seen. I, for one, sure hope so.
It’s fair to say the 4X space sim market isn’t exactly barren; games like Master of Orion, Galactic Civilization, and Endless Space remain hugely popular among their fanbases, so Miller and Stelleas have some work to do if they want to dominate this particular galaxy.
We’ll get to find out whether he can achieve this goal when Stellar Reach launches on PC via Steam, apparently sometime in September. Stay tuned for more.
