T-minus 22 Days: Galactic Civilizations 3 Gets Release Date
Blasting off out of Early Access
If I'm going to blast off into the far reaches of the galaxy, I'd probably rather the technology be perfected first. There's a lot to be said for going up in a multi-billion dollar fireball and raining ashes over the Pacific, but perhaps that's not for everyone. By the same token, you might not be willing to attempt galactic conquest while a game's on Steam Early Access.
If so, good news: Galactic Civilizations III now has a launch date for blasting out of Early Access and becoming a proper fancy full video game, whatever that is. Start a countdown: t-minus 22 days. Or May 14th, if you find that easier to understand; you probably do.
Do I need to explain Galactic Civilizations to you? Maybe. I don't know. It's a turn-based strategy game about trying to conquer a corner of the galaxy, competing economically, diplomatically, and militarily with other spacefolk. You research things, pick your own path to victory... you know: it's a 4X game. You get to design your own race and spaceships too. Jeez, leave me alone, go watch lead designer Paul Boyer playing the latest beta build:
Developers Stardock first launched their 4X strategy game on Early Access back in March 2014, in alpha form through a 'Founder's Elite Edition' that cost a steep £75.99/$99.99 but also included all future expansions and DLC. It entered beta last August, letting folks buy the game for a more reasonable price of £29.99/$49.99.