Hooded Horse is quickly becoming one of our favorite publishers of strategy games across several subgenres, and Fragile Existence, currently in development by Fragile Continuum, is shaping up to be one of 2025’s most exciting 4X/grand strategy titles.
The game presents a future in which humanity has to save itself from extinction after being attacked by “a fleet of unknown origin.” With the Near Earth Territories decimated, what remains of our species is carried inside a handful of ships. The core loop promises a blend of 4X and deeper grand strategy systems and mechanics; as the Fleet Commander, the player must scout ahead, plot courses from one star system to the next, and ensure humanity’s survival at all costs.
Yup, there’s a fair amount of Homeworld DNA in there too. Yet, Fragile Continuum appears to be aiming higher with its sprawling sci-fi epic, with ground expeditions, plenty of decision-making, and battles on planets and in space all coming together (hopefully) in a cohesive way. Plus, mod support has been confirmed. The game’s official YouTube channel contains plenty of trailers and extensive updates worth checking out, and we’ve now received a major blog post highlighting what’s currently going on with the game.
We recommend reading through the whole thing on Steam if you’re anxious to learn more about the current state of the game and what Fragile Continuum’s plans for the future are, but here’s the rundown if your short on time:
- Areas of space now feature ‘regions’ and points of interest other than planets and moons.
- Extensive updates to warp gates, the surrounding infrastructures, and warping sequences.
- ‘Dynamic’ radio chatter is now in the works to breathe more life into the fleets and make the remnants of humanity more… human.
- Planetary maps, menus, and tactical elements have received visual and QoL tweaks and upgrades to improve the information the player receives.
- ‘Selection palettes’ that improve the group selection system; “a great way to keep track of the sub-system damage and current actions that each unit is undertaking.” This also adds a location marker and helps with camera focus.
- Improved cargo transfers that streamline and smooth out the process of moving cargo between capital ships, dropships, and other vessels.
- Several extra improvements to notifications, the logbook, UI indicators, and tooltips, as Fragile Existence certainly looks a bit daunting at first glance.
Alongside the new details and screenshots, the developers have also shared a video of “a recent build” of the game that shows how everything is coming together. You can watch it below:
Moreover, it’s now been confirmed that the early access launch won’t happen this year. Reasons cited are “a number of features left to implement and test properly” before the team can publicly release a build they’re happy with. For now, they’re encouraging the most curious gamers to join the game’s official Discord to stay up to date.
Fragile Existence is targeting a 2025 release on Steam and GOG.
Keep updated on the latest Gaming News by following GameWatcher on Twitter, check out our videos on YouTube, or by giving us a follow on Google News.
