Star Control Founder Program now Open

Stardock have a new project beginning shortly and it's a very special one. They are planning a reboot of the Star Control Franchise, back from the ashes after nearly 20 years in limbo. This won't come as a surprise to anyone who's been following the somewhat complex history around the series as Stardock acquired the rights to the game following Atari's liquidation in 2014.

The original 1990 game was a strategy and shooter affair which proved popular if not groundbreaking. It was the epic 1992 sequel Star Control 2 which really turned heads. With its deep storyline, hundreds of explorable worlds and dozens of aliens to engage with, it's generally regarded as one of the finest PC games of all time. The series was originally written by Toys for Bob before they turned to the Skylanders games and another game hasn't materialised since the third game in 1996. That's all about to change though with this reboot

The original game is still viewed by many as a classic of the MSDOS era

Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock is determined to treat the franchise with the respect he feels that it deserves. As such, the development of the game will be shaped and directed by the fans. Stardock are currently seeking enthusiastic fans of the series to get involved in their founder programme.

"Greetings! 25 years ago, I became obsessed with a game called Star Control™. My friends and I poured hours into playing it together. Two years later, Star Control 2 came out, forcing me to spend all my waking hours exploring worlds, meeting crazy aliens, and of course, saving the galaxy.

For years, I waited for another game that would combine a sandbox exploration game with a compelling story but alas, nothing has approached the heights of Star Control 2 for me.A couple of years ago, Atari®, which had acquired Accolade, the original publishers of the Star Control series, sold us their rights to the franchise. So here we are, nearly a quarter century later and I'm happy to let you know that we are making a new Star Control game!

Now, you might wonder when you'll be able to join us in talking about the design, the new aliens, the new worlds, and the new adventures. The answer to that is NOW. Our Founder's Program is ready to go and we're excited to start talking about the game with our community. It is as near and dear to us as it is to many of you, so your feedback and thoughts are extremely important to me.

Because this franchise is so loved, we are looking for people who are sincerely invested in the future of these games. In order to do this, we are asking that people who would like the opportunity to join our Founder's Program fill out a survey"