Stars Reach
News, coverage and analysis tracking Stars Reach across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Betawatch: Palworld goes full mobile MMORPG as Guild Wars 3 talks species
This week's Betawatch covers several upcoming and in-development MMORPGs, including a mobile-only version of Palworld called Palworld Online and Guild Wars 3 confirming playable species. Updates are also provided on games like Runescape Dragonwilds, ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom, and various titles in testing phases, highlighting the ongoing development and testing cycles within the MMO genre.
Stars Reach is releasing its final pre-early access update to overhaul crafting, weapons, and the UI
Playable Worlds is releasing a final major update for Stars Reach before its early access launch on August 18, 2026. This patch overhauls the user interface, crafting system, weapons, and adds new features like a recipe book and pharmacology groundwork. The update is expected to drop today, accompanied by a seven-hour maintenance period.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 575: I’m turning this car around and going back to Mordor
The Massively OP Podcast episode 575 covers several MMO updates, including The Lord of the Rings Online's new expansion reveal, Elder Scrolls Online's revised roadmap, and the launch date for Stars Reach. The hosts also discuss the return of Closers Online, a new ArcheAge MMO, and a listener question about gameplay chunks.
MMO Week in Review: I want to believe
This week's MMO news roundup covers updates and announcements for numerous titles including Stars Reach, EverQuest Legends, Elder Scrolls Online, and Final Fantasy XIV. Key stories include Stars Reach's official early access date, Elder Scrolls Online's post-layoff roadmap, and Guild Wars 3 revealing its composers. The article also touches on game development, business practices, and player sentiment across various MMORPGs.
Betawatch: Stars Reach sets course for early access, EverQuest Legends successfully launches
Stars Reach has announced its paid early access will begin on August 18th, while EverQuest Legends has officially launched. The article also provides updates on Guild Wars 3's music, Cinder City's pre-alpha testing, and Reaper Actual's free weekend, alongside a comprehensive list of games currently in various stages of testing and early access.
Raph Koster’s MMORPG Stars Reach officially announces paid early access is coming August 18
Playable Worlds announced that Raph Koster's sandbox MMORPG, Stars Reach, will launch its paid early access on Steam on August 18th. The game will feature three tiers of entry, offering increasing rewards and cosmetics. The early access build will include combat, trade, and crafting across multiple planets, with future updates planned for features like PvP and factions.
MMO Week in Review: FFXIV in Berlin, Black Desert in SoCal, and Jimothy saturation
This week's MMO news covers Final Fantasy XIV's Fan Festival in Berlin, Black Desert's Heidel Ball, and the early access launch of SEED. Updates were also provided for Dungeons & Dragons Online, Aion 2, and The Guild reunion movie. Several games saw controversy including World of Warcraft staff cheating, Elder Scrolls Online capacity issues, and Microsoft layoffs.
Make My MMO: Legends of Aria and The Guild are back, SpiritVale breaks 20K concurrent
This article provides an update on various crowdfunded MMORPGs, noting the return of Legends of Aria as Legends of Aria Eternal and the successful Kickstarter for The Guild movie. It also highlights SpiritVale's launch and its achievement of over 20,000 concurrent players, while mentioning other games like Book of Travels preparing to sunset and Stars Reach nearing early access.
Stars Reach says it’s ‘an update or so away’ from early access, promises ‘big chonky updates’ in the future
Sandbox MMORPG Stars Reach is nearing its transition from pre-alpha to alpha status, with the developers aiming for early access soon. Key development focuses include server stability, performance improvements, adding more in-game content like loot and clothing, and refining the game's economic loop. Upcoming updates will feature UI tweaks, new crafting stations, city rebuilding, and progress on the Fae race.
Betawatch: Stars Reach reboots its servers, SpiritVale hits early access
Stars Reach has rebooted its servers with refreshed character customization, while SpiritVale has officially launched into early access. Several other games, including MapleStory Classic World and Arkheron, are also undergoing beta testing or preparing for future launches.
Stars Reach has wiped its test servers and treated testers to a brand-new character customization system
Playable Worlds has released a new patch for Stars Reach, introducing a significant character customization system update that allows for detailed customization of species, body type, and appearance. This update is considered an intermediate step, with further enhancements like color options and more variety planned. The patch also includes HUD overhauls, combat tweaks, and a doubled creature count, alongside the announcement that the game's early access period will begin later this summer, preceded by a "Great Wipe" of test servers.
Stars Reach updates character customization, UI, and creatures as it readies for its full wipe
Stars Reach has released an update introducing expanded character customization, UI improvements, and new creatures, with another patch planned to implement a full game wipe. Developer Playable Worlds encourages players to document their current progress before the reset and tune into a Twitch livestream showcasing community builds.
MMO Week in Review: EverQuest rising
This week's MMO news roundup highlights the resurgence of the EverQuest franchise with EverQuest Legends entering paid beta and expansions teased for EverQuest and EverQuest II. Other major stories include the implosion of DreamWorld, potential layoffs at Blizzard and Bethesda, and Sony's shutdown of PS3 and PS Vita storefronts. The article also covers updates and news from various other MMOs like Elder Scrolls Online, Conan Exiles, and Valheim.
Stars Reach says it’s reached a ‘pivotal moment’ in testing and requires a full wipe
Playable Worlds announced a full data wipe for the test servers of its space sandbox game, Stars Reach, calling it a 'pivotal moment' before early access. This reset is necessary to implement new systems and refine core game mechanics. While an early access release date is not yet finalized, the developers indicated it is planned for this summer.
"You can literally reroute a river into a desert and cause it to bloom": Star Wars Galaxies lead says of his new sandbox MMO Stars Reach
Raph Koster, lead designer of Star Wars Galaxies, discusses his new sandbox MMO, Stars Reach, which features a procedurally generated universe with real-world physics simulations. Players can manipulate the environment by rerouting rivers, freezing water, or electrifying deposits, with the game's core mechanics drawing inspiration from Conway's Game of Life. Koster emphasizes that the advanced physics simulation, enabled by modern computing power, allows for a more immersive and reactive world than previously possible.
Stars Reach adds a lore animatic, addresses stability, and revokes outdated playtest ahead of early access
Playable Worlds has revoked access to an older playtest version of Stars Reach to streamline preparation for its Early Access launch. The studio also released a game update addressing stability, performance, and bug issues, and added a lore animatic for new characters. UI elements for trading, character selection, and menus have also been refined.
Stars Reach shows off upcoming UI updates for crafting, trading, and using tools
The developers of the sandbox MMORPG Stars Reach showcased upcoming UI updates for crafting, trading, and tool usage. These include drag-and-drop functionality for the trade window, a revised crafting UI, HUD redesigns, and dynamic reticles based on the held tool. New features like multi-slot workbenches and improved compass popups were also detailed.
Stars Reach talks about its infinite world generation system in its latest video
Playable Worlds detailed the new world generation system for Stars Reach in a recent video, explaining how it uses a library of topologies to create diverse planets. The studio also confirmed that the game is slated for an early access release this summer, with recent updates including chat bubbles and underwater effects.
Stars Reach’s alpha updates with fog, underwater effects, and proper chat bubbles
Playable Worlds has released an alpha update for the upcoming MMO Stars Reach, focusing on stability improvements and visual enhancements. The patch introduces new fog and underwater rendering effects, along with updated chat bubbles and an improved skill UI. The game is slated for early access release this summer.
Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies vet tells me the theme park 'assembly line' MMO just isn't viable anymore, especially as dev costs spike: 'We hit the wall'
Veteran MMO developer Raph Koster believes the 'theme park' style of MMO, popularized by World of Warcraft, is no longer viable due to skyrocketing development costs. Koster, who worked on Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, argues that the increasing expense of creating static content, coupled with player consumption rates, makes this model unsustainable. He suggests that the genre has become stagnant, with players growing bored and feeling underserved by an industry focused on monetization over innovation.
