"The independent Trader Worlds must unite to defend themselves against the return of their exiled brethren - 'The Advent' and the arrival of the desperate remnants of the ancient Vasari Empire."

With formidable fleets of starships, players will explore and conquer nearby planets and distant solar systems by applying brute force, cunning strategy, elegant diplomacy, economic mastery, and researched technology. Battle hardened capital ships advance in level, improving their core offensive and defensive systems, and unlocking their unique abilities. From research facilities to weapons platforms, planetary structures built on land and in orbit add to their planet's strategic and economic value.

Powered by Ironclad's proprietary Iron Engine and the Forge Tool Suite, a galaxy of intriguing aliens, powerful starships, and colossal planets comes to life with stunning 3D graphics, unparalleled sense of scale, and a cinematic musical score. Up to ten players can battle for galactic supremacy on IroncladOnline, the company's upcoming matchmaking, player ranking and statistics tracking service.

The limited-feature beta will initially be single-player only, and will feature a single playable race; its purpose is to help Stardock and Ironclad test the game engine on a wide range of PCs, ensuring maximum compatibility and peak performance of the final product. In the coming months, additional features and updates will be implemented based on players’ feedback, in order to ensure the final game meets and exceeds fans’ expectations.

Sins of a Solar Empire represents the birth of the RT4X genre, seamlessly blending spectacular tactical combat with grand-scale space strategy. Players must conquer worlds, engage in diplomacy and trade with other civilizations, and use the resources at their disposal to enhance their economy, develop new technology and increase military power. They must then test their mettle on a 3D tactical battlefield, where their ships will fight it out in stunning visual glory.

“We’re thrilled to finally give loyal Stardock and Ironclad fans the opportunity to experience Sins of a Solar Empire themselves” said Brian Clair, Director of Games Publishing for Stardock Entertainment. “Their input and gameplay feedback will ultimately help us deliver an incredibly fun, balanced and stable game later this year.”

“When players go to bed after playing Sins we want invading alien armadas, desperate planetary defensives and collapsing intergalactic empires to haunt their dreams. Giving players a chance to help shape Sins as early as possible is critical to this objective and we couldn’t be more excited to get the mission started,” said Blair Fraser, Producer at Ironclad Games. Craig Fraser, Creative Director, continued, “The team is finally ready to share a tiny taste of the Sins universe with the world this month. The community’s feedback has always been so important to us in the past and we are really counting on our beta fans to help us make Sins the strategy game they will want to play for years.”