The open-world space shooter Everspace 2 was revealed at Gamescom 2019 during Opening Night Live. The surprising hit Everspace convinced over a million PC and console players, and is now getting a sequel from indie developer Rockfish. Everspace 2’s Steam Early Access release is planned for late 2020, with the full launch scheduled to the end of 2021 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Unlike its roguelike original, Everspace 2 is going for a bolder approach by introducing an open world and adding RPG elements and persistent progression to its space shooter mechanics. Players can also expect more ships and more story as well.
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The first Everspace 2 trailer is comprised of in-game pre-alpha gameplay footage, highlighting the impressive visuals and the thrilling space combat that players may expect.
In order to achieve its original vision, Rockfish is going to launch a Kickstarter campaign for Everspace 2 starting September 9, 2019. The development budget easily surpasses the one from the original game, but the team is aiming for €450,000 (roughly $500,000 USD). The first game had a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015 and Rockfish is hoping that the Everspace community is going to be involved in the development of the sequel as much as possible. Having financial independence guarantees that the developers can reach their vision and retain full creative control of Everspace 2.
Michael Schade, CEO and co-founder of Rockfish Games, had a statement.
“With Everspace 2, we are making a big leap towards an open world space shooter, but will still remain true to our DNA and offer exactly what our fans love: a beautiful fantastic sci-fi world paired with uncompromising space action that gets down to business right away,” he said.
After its world premiere at Gamescom 2019, Everspace 2 will be showcased at two other huge shows: PAX West in Seattle, which runs from August 29 to September 2, and TwitchCon at San Diego from September 27 to September 29.
