RimWorld's 1.0 release date announced

Sci-fi colony simulator RimWorld is getting its official 1.0 release date on Wednesday 17th October, the developers announced today. The game’s been in early access for five years, generating stories about crash-landed space explorers trying to survive and thrive on strange planets.

At the beginning of the year, developer Tynan Sylvester said that he could keep adding to the game forever, but would be drawing the line soon. “Five years are enough to call a game finished,” he wrote on Reddit. Now, nine months later, that time has finally come.

According to the official announcement, not much has changed since Beta version 19, which added bridges, ally factions, animal diseases, and more. In comparison, 1.0 will bring “a lot of bugfixes” and just one “significant new feature”: the ability to control and restrict what people are allowed to eat.

The post also talks about what current players should do to prepare. If you’re running an unmodded game, then you’re good to go, and save games from the last two beta versions will carry over. If you are modding, though, best to follow the instructions for backing up on Ludeon Studios’ website.

Sylvester says that he intends to continue adding “creative content” to the game, as well as bug fixes and fan translations, but “beyond that…I won’t promise anything and nothing’s decided.” Though he says he has “a variety of interesting directions to go with the game” in mind, he’s taking today to celebrate the upcoming release, which seems fair.

RimWorld is available in early access now via its website or Steam for £23.79/€27.99/$29.99.