Stars Reach
News, coverage and analysis tracking Stars Reach across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Stars Reach adds Halloween quests and a spooky building contest with its Harvestwake event
The game Stars Reach is celebrating Halloween with its Harvestwake event, which runs until November 2nd. Players can undertake seasonal quests by collecting pumpkins from enemies and participate in a building contest on October 31st, with prizes including in-game currency, merchandise, and the chance to design a public planet experience.
Betawatch: ArcheAge Chronicles sets its early access plans and Vampir gets a release date
ArcheAge Chronicles has announced its early access price of thirty dollars, with plans to eventually remove gender locks and add third weapon options for classes. Vampir is set to launch on October 27th. The article also provides updates on City of Titans, Soulframe, and numerous other MMOs in various stages of testing and development.
Stars Reach previews its upcoming patch with Cartography, Leadership, and Stealth
The upcoming patch for Stars Reach, titled Lead the Way, introduces three new professional skills: Cartography for charting planets and sharing maps, Leadership for directing other players, and Stealth for silent movement and attacks. The update also includes new trailblazer tools, combat enhancements for Pistoleer and Medical trees, and new governmental functions.
Betawatch: Enshrouded launches as Guild Wars 3 starts sharing social hubs
Enshrouded has officially launched into version 1.0, exiting early access. Meanwhile, Guild Wars 3 has previewed its first social hub, and World of Warcraft Forever is preparing for a server slam stress test. The article also lists numerous other games in various stages of beta and early access testing.
Stars Reach promises it will be adding professions and improvements to combat soon
Stars Reach developer Raph Koster has announced upcoming additions to the sandbox game, including new professions and combat improvements. While details are scarce, a roadmap post next week will provide more information on professions like xenobiology, rangering, and foraging. Revisions to GovBot and storage tech are also planned.
MMO Week in Review: Destiny 2’s revival, Aion 2’s stress test
This week's MMO news covers Destiny 2's revival with unvaulted content, Aion 2's stress test, and Ultima Online's 29th anniversary. Dune Awakening launched on consoles, Elder Scrolls Online discussed experimental features, and Microsoft continued layoffs. World of Warcraft Forever is impressing players, while other news includes The Division 2, Marathon, Warframe, and various other MMO updates and discussions.
Make My MMO: Loftia’s impending beginning, Ship of Heroes’ inevitable end
This column tracks the status of crowdfunded MMOs, highlighting upcoming early access launches for Loftia and Monsters & Memories. It also reports on the sunsetting of Ship of Heroes, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's delay and layoffs, and updates on various other crowdfunded titles.
Betawatch: World of Warcraft Forever gets the beta explosion as Aion 2 cracks its doors open a bit
The beta for World of Warcraft Forever has launched with high player numbers, while Aion 2 has opened its doors for testing. The article also provides updates on State of Decay 3's development under an indie Undead Labs and Guild Wars 2's upcoming WvW map test. It serves as a weekly roundup of MMOs in various testing phases, including open betas, closed betas, and early access.
Stars Reach paints with all the colors of the wind in its next update
The space sandbox MMO Stars Reach is preparing to launch its next update, '8.7: Crafted in Color.' This update will introduce expanded paint tools, the ability to preview finishes, and craftable materials like metal, stone, and wood. It also includes new building pieces, improvements to the mission system, and UI enhancements.
Stars Reach talks up building updates as it promises to ‘pay attention to growth’ and ‘features, not just fires’
Playable Worlds CEO Raph Koster announced that Stars Reach is shifting focus from reactive 'firefighting' to proactive feature development and growth. Upcoming updates will prioritize housing customization, new building pieces, and improved missions, with future plans including multi-story buildings and enhanced town management mechanics.
Industry vets behind Dishonored, Ultima Online, Her Story and more agree the games industry crisis goes beyond games: 'Ultimately, to fix what’s broken in the videogame industry, we might have to fix reality'
Industry veterans agree the current videogame industry crisis extends beyond games themselves, attributing it to larger systemic issues and 'greedy, rapacious forces.' Developers like Harvey Smith and Sam Barlow suggest that fixing the industry requires addressing fundamental societal and economic problems, as current financial models are not designed to nurture art.
Industry vet who worked on Ultima Online says the next big thing needs to have 'sh*tty graphics' to escape the…
Industry veteran Raph Koster argues that the relentless pursuit of high-resolution graphics is unsustainable due to ballooning development costs and stagnant game prices. He suggests that the next major platform innovation needs to intentionally have 'shitty graphics' to reset the cost curve and allow for new gameplay affordances, preventing established companies from dominating.
Sci-fi sandbox Stars Reach is throwing a raging party (system) this week
The sci-fi sandbox game Stars Reach is releasing its 'Better Together' update this week, introducing a party system that allows players to group up, chat, and explore the galaxy together. The update also includes improvements to the Galactic Map, removal of recipe activation, better inventory management, and bug fixes.
Stars Reach continues its hotfixing for crafting recipes, storage, and public events
Playable Worlds has released a hotfix for Stars Reach, addressing issues with crafting recipes, storage, and public events. The update includes normalization of crafting stations, reintroduction of oil and wood refining, and bug fixes for public events like boss projectile counts and meteor showers.
Betawatch: Monsters & Memories plunges testers into The Deep, Loftia begins pre-registrations, and ArcheAge S is on its way next year
Several MMORPGs are entering new testing phases or preparing for launch. Monsters & Memories is plunging testers into 'The Deep' ahead of its early access, while Loftia has begun pre-registrations. ArcheAge S is slated for a Q2 2027 release, with gameplay previews coming soon. Legends of Aria Eternal and Valheim have officially launched, while Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has experienced layoffs.
MMO Week in Review: Joy of movement
This week's MMO news roundup covers a preview of Guild Wars 3's combat and movement, with ArenaNet's Colin Johanson taking on the game's direction. Other news includes Xbox's cloud gaming plans, Aion 2 lacking an Oceania server, Elder Scrolls Online's roadmap, and rumors of a StarCraft successor from Nexon and Blizzard.
Make My MMO: Stars Reach’s prospects, Squadron 42’s postponements
This article provides an update on various crowdfunded MMORPGs. Stars Reach has launched into early access with server issues but is actively patching. Squadron 42 has been delayed again, citing Grand Theft Auto 6 as a reason, adding to its decade-long postponement. Pantheon Rise of the Fallen continues its slow development on a combat revamp, with player numbers declining significantly.
Betawatch: ArcheAge Chronicles plans a network test for next weekend
ArcheAge Chronicles is planning a network test for September 12th, continuing its development journey. The article also rounds up other MMO news, including updates on Guild Wars 3, Farhaven, and Aion 2, alongside a lengthy list of games currently in various stages of testing and development.
Stars Reach brushes off sunset fears as it releases its Ground Control update
Stars Reach has released its 'Ground Control' update, addressing performance issues, restoring lost player items, and improving the in-game map and marketplace. The update also makes housing more accessible early on. Lead developer Raph Koster confirmed the game is not being sunsetted and that the studio is actively working on further improvements based on player feedback.
Stars Reach’s latest hotfix addresses lost homesteads, marketplace listing bugs, and stability
Stars Reach has released a new hotfix addressing several issues, including a serialization problem affecting marketplace listings and safeguards to prevent homesteads from being lost. The update also includes optimizations for flora and fauna and ongoing efforts to resolve server crashes. Access to two wild wormhole planets has been temporarily disabled while developers work on a fix.
