The time of Diplomacy is over. The length of the war and differing opinions on what should be done to bring the war to an end has led to a splintering of the groups involved. The controlling powers-that-be have depleted arsenals and seemed to have exhausted all efforts of diplomacy. Trapped in a stalemate, sub-factions have rebelled and broken off the main alignments. Rebellion is upon us.

In the original Sins of a Solar Empire, you are the leader of one of three civilizations embroiled in a galactic war, fighting for survival of your entire race against relentless foes. Your success will depend on your ability to manage your empire and command your vast fleets of starships to victory. Players will colonize new worlds, develop extensive trade networks, conduct research, fortify their empires with powerful starbases and fleets of ships, plus control the galaxy using the unique diplomacy system that reacts dynamically to the players’ actions.

The first beta for Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion has gone live today! Fans who pre-order Rebellion can jump in and play the TEC faction today, and fans who own the original Sins title will receive an extra $10 off when ordering it from Stardock.com!

New features of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion include:

• New Factions: Players decide whether to become Loyalists or Rebels, which unlocks a unique new tech tree granting them new technologies and ship variants.
• New Titan-class ships:  Massive warships for each race that dwarf capital ships, these deadly new monsters are capable of wiping out entire enemy fleets single-handedly.
• New Capital Ships:  A new capital ship class arrives, giving players new strategic options.
• New Corvette-class ships:  Small, highly maneuverable light ships that are adept at a variety of tasks.
• Loyalist and Rebel versions of some of the existing Sins’ frigates and cruisers, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
• Updated lighting and particle effects for enhanced visuals.
• New Victory Conditions to allow for more variety, differing strategies and shorter game sessions.
• Additional capital ship ability levels, for greater strategic choice.
• Impulse::Reactor support for chat, friends, achievements and more.