Developer Ironclad Games and Publisher Stardock Corporation announced the upcoming Sins of a Solar Empire 2. The sequel to 2008’s award-winning RTS game Sins of a Solar Empire will soon arrive on the Epic Games Store.
Released over 14 years ago, the 4X real-time strategy game Sins of a Solar Empire lets players take control of one of three factions, or six in the standalone Rebellion expansion, as they battle for survival in a galaxy torn apart by endless war. Commanding the fleets of either the Trade Emergency Coalition, the nomadic Vasari Empire, or the psionic Advent Unity, players colonize worlds, build ships and space stations, and lead them to victory in epic space battles. The original game was a massive hit for developer Ironclad, reportedly selling over 200,000 copies in the first month on a budget of under $1,000,000.
The developer officially announced Sins of a Solar Empire 2 with a short teaser trailer on September 16. Coming in at under a minute, the announcement trailer didn’t reveal too much beyond confirming that all of Sins of a Solar Empire's factions will make their return in the upcoming game. However, it offered fans an exciting close-up of a TEC battleship as it leads the charge against an unseen opponent.
Unfortunately, the trailer did not include Sins of a Solar Empire 2’s release date. However, developers plan to release a “technical preview” later this year, allowing players to experience a single-player skirmish as the TEC Loyalists introduced in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion. Ironclad Games expects to release a second preview this winter, followed by a multiplayer demo and full alpha build sometime in 2023. The developer is not ready to talk about Sins of a Solar Empire 2’s full 1.0 release date but indicated that the studio intends to keep it in early access for about a year.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2’s most significant new features include the introduction of planetary orbits. Instead of remaining in static locations on the system map, the player will have to plan their strategies around the motion of these celestial bodies. The game will also feature improved graphics, an enhanced physics engine, and massive ten-player battles.
Fans can take part in the tech demos and alpha by pre-ordering the game now from the Epic Game Store. Pre-ordering Sins of a Solar Empire 2 costs $39.99 right now, though developers will increase the price to $49.99 for the full release. Additionally, while Stardock and Ironclad say they would like to release Sins of a Solar Empire 2 on Steam and other platforms like Game Pass, the company has yet to make any specific promises in that regard.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is in development for PC.
Source: Stardock Corporation