Stars Reach
News, coverage and analysis tracking Stars Reach across the outlets.
Latest coverage
Stars Reach’s latest early access patch buffs character speed and adds craftable player vendors
Playable Worlds has released a new patch for the early access MMORPG Stars Reach, addressing performance and stability issues, including server crashes and rubberbanding. The update also overhauls character movement speed, improves inventory management with a 'merge all' option, enhances structure placement, adds craftable player vendors, and refines the player market.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 577: Stars Reach’s next generation trek
The Massively OP Podcast episode 577 covers the early access launch of Stars Reach, the upcoming MapleStory Classic World, a preview of Stormforge, playable Kodan in Guild Wars 3, and Palia's fall roadmap. The hosts also touch on Daybreak Game Company's financials and other meta site topics.
MMO Week in Review: Way too early access
This week's MMO news covers the early access launch of Stars Reach, which some consider premature. Other highlights include a look at Guild Wars 3's Kodan, Daybreak's acquisition of Cold Iron Studios, new content for EverQuest Legends, and an analysis of the survival game Stormforge. The article also touches on various other MMO updates, rumors, and industry discussions.
SWG lead's new MMO, Stars Reach, almost lost me—until I met an animal conservationist mayor
Stars Reach, an MMO from Raph Koster, known for Star Wars: Galaxies, has launched in early access with a high price point and a messy, unfinished state. While the game's vision of a socially-driven experience with diverse skill trees is apparent, its current implementation suffers from janky mechanics, a poor first impression, and a lack of direction, though glimpses of compelling player-driven community building offer hope for its future.
Stars Reach puts out a hotfix that attacks a wide list of bugs and issues
Playable Worlds has released a hotfix for their early access MMO, Stars Reach, addressing numerous bugs and issues. The patch includes fixes for rubberbanding, crafting, collection, and more, though the studio admits it's not a complete solution. User reviews remain mixed on Steam, with player concurrency numbers having dropped significantly since launch.
WRUP: This is where the fish lives edition
The Massively OP staff and community share their weekend gaming plans. Brianna Royce will check out Stars Reach and City of Heroes, Chris Neal is playing Palworld, Eliot Lefebvre anticipates updates for Final Fantasy XIV and Warframe, Sam Kash plans to play Guild Wars Reforged and Gloria Victis, and Tyler Edwards is catching up in World of Warcraft. Pierre is returning to Final Fantasy XIV and replaying A Plague Tale: Innocence in anticipation of A Plague Tale: Requiem.
Betawatch: Stars Reach hits early access stumbles and Guild Wars 3 outlines its Kodan details
This week's Betawatch covers the early access launch of Stars Reach, with developer Raph Koster apologizing for initial issues. Guild Wars 3 has also detailed its playable Kodan, while City of Heroes and Stormforge have received updates. The roundup includes news on numerous other MMOs in various testing phases, including Aero Tales Online, Elder Scrolls Online, and Aloft.
‘We aren’t where we want to be yet in terms of server stability,’ says Stars Reach boss
Stars Reach, an early access MMORPG sandbox, is experiencing significant server stability and performance issues shortly after its launch. Playable Worlds' Raph Koster acknowledged these problems, stating the team is working on patches to address bugs, optimization, and gameplay blockers. The game has struggled to maintain a large player base and has received mixed reviews due to its pre-alpha state.
Vague Patch Notes: How do MMOs come back from bad launches?
This article analyzes how Massively Multiplayer Online games can recover from poor launches, emphasizing the critical role of leadership admitting fault and engaging with the player base. It contrasts successful turnarounds, like Final Fantasy XIV, with games that failed to gain traction, such as Ship of Heroes, highlighting that player perception must improve before the game itself can be fixed.
Bring the Fire: Play Games on GeForce NOW With New Firefox Browser Support
NVIDIA's GeForce NOW cloud gaming service now supports the Firefox browser, allowing users to play PC games directly from their browser without needing a dedicated app. This expansion joins existing support for Chrome, Edge, and Opera, making high-performance PC gaming more accessible on various devices. The update also introduces 12 new games to the GeForce NOW library, including BlackMill Games' World War 1 shooter, Gallipoli.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 576: Peering into the future of MMOs
The Massively OP Podcast episode 576 features hosts Justin and Bree discussing the future of MMORPGs, including Star Wars: The Old Republic's update plans, World of Warcraft's latest patch, and delays for Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty due to Amazon's exit from publishing. They also cover Q2 MMO financials and introduce a new 'spotlight of the week' segment.
Raph Koster’s Kickstarted sandbox MMORPG Stars Reach officially enters early access today
Stars Reach, the sandbox MMORPG spearheaded by veteran developer Raph Koster, has officially entered early access today. Developed by Playable Worlds, the game offers deep social, political, and crafting content with a focus on player-driven world transformation. The early access period will last at least six months, with a progression wipe planned before the 1.0 launch, which will be free-to-play.
This week in PC games: survival horror in a waterlogged city, kaiju chaos in a destructible city, and old school GTA vibes in an isometric insurgency simulator
This week's PC game releases include survival horror titles like Feed it. and The Sinking City 2, a multiplayer shooter with kaiju battles called Beastlink, and an isometric insurgency simulator Brigador Killers. Other notable releases span genres from city builders and puzzle games to MMORPGs and visual novels.
MMO Week in Review: Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty are going home
Amazon has announced it will cease publishing duties for the MMORPGs Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty, returning them to their respective studios, Smilegate and NCsoft. The article also touches on updates and developments for other MMOs including EverQuest Legends, World of Warcraft, Ashes of Creation, and Star Wars The Old Republic.
Make My MMO: Stars Reach’s imminent early access, Book of Travels’ farewell
Stars Reach, an MMORPG developed by Raph Koster and Playable Worlds, is launching into early access soon, with Kickstarter backers able to collect their keys. Meanwhile, the tiny MMO Book of Travels has sunsetted its multiplayer version and is now available as a single-player game. The article also provides updates on various other crowdfunded MMO projects, highlighting both successes and failures in the genre.
Betawatch: Soul’s Remnant wins over MMO fans as Guild Wars 3 talks playable humans
Soul's Remnant has launched to positive reviews and strong player counts, defying initial expectations of a slow start. Meanwhile, Guild Wars 3 continues to discuss its playable races, Stars Reach went dark before its early access launch, and Dune: Awakening is testing its single-player mode.
The Soapbox: Online games just can’t bet on success
This opinion piece argues that developers of live service games should stop betting on guaranteed success and instead focus on delivering complete, polished experiences at launch. The author uses examples like Iron Harvest, Anthem, and Wolcen to illustrate the pitfalls of unfinished stories and overly ambitious projects. The article suggests that a more realistic approach, prioritizing a solid core experience with plans for future expansion, is more sustainable and beneficial for both developers and players, citing Valheim as a positive example.
Here’s how Stars Reach Kickstarter backers can get their Steam keys and cosmetic goodies
Playable Worlds has provided instructions for Stars Reach Kickstarter backers to receive their Steam keys and in-game cosmetic items for the game's upcoming early access launch. Backers can find their keys in their Firstlook portal, with Steam keys redeemed on Steam and cosmetic keys redeemed in-game. An AMA session is scheduled for August 14th to discuss early access and future development.
Stars Reach gets ready to ‘go dark’ for a week prior to its early access launch
Playable Worlds is preparing for the early access launch of its space sandbox MMO, Stars Reach, on August 18th. The team thanked players for their participation in a recent stress test and emphasized that the launch build will be an alpha, with the goal of player input shaping the final game. Despite facing numerous challenges including turnover, COVID-19, budget constraints, and the loss of two developers, the company persevered with $40 million in funding to bring the ambitious indie title to fruition.
Stars Reach is readying another server slam this afternoon ahead of early access
Playable Worlds is conducting a server slam event for its upcoming MMORPG, Stars Reach, today at 2:00 p.m. EDT, ahead of its early access launch on August 18th. The event aims to replicate early access conditions by having players create new characters and progress through the starting zone to gather data and test server stability.
