Following up from last year’s real-time 4X strategy game StarDrive, publisher Iceberg Interactive and developer Zero Sum Games have once again teamed up to create StarDrive 2, a turn-based sequel featuring real-time combat that will be released on Steam and other digital channels in September 2014.
In StarDrive 2 players can build a space empire and command fleets turn-by-turn in an immersive, living galaxy filled with nine alien races, pirate factions, galactic lore and mystery. Research hundreds of technologies, including some that will be unique to the race you’re playing as, and build ships in the ship design mode to take into real-time battles.
”StarDrive 2 represents the culmination of two decades of love for the 4X genre and five years of work on the StarDrive universe,” says Daniel DiCicco, CEO of Zero Sum Games. ”Here we have taken everything we have learned - our successes, our failures, and our passion - and made a 4X game that we are incredibly proud of. We are dedicated to our community and we’re excited to start showing off StarDrive 2 to our fans.”
Zero Sum Games tells us that it wants to double down on its commitment to user-generated content by integrating Steam Workshop support directly into StarDrive 2.
”We believe that fans of this genre will rejoice when they get their hands on StarDrive 2,” DiCicco continues. ”It will bring them back to the golden age of 4X gaming with familiar strategic gameplay while using the full power of the Unity game engine to push AAA visuals.”
StarDrive 2 is estimated to cost around $29.99 when it releases in September 2014 on Steam and other digital distribution stores, although Iceberg and Zero Sum plan to reward owners of the original StarDrive with a loyalty discount of 33%.
Are you happy with the announcement of StarDrive 2? Is there anything you think Iceberg should do differently with this sequel? Let us know in the comments are below!