In Lords of the Black Sun, players take command of one race to join the struggle for supremacy in the galaxy. As the leader of an empire, gamers are tasked with exploring the stars, colonizing new worlds, managing their empire and conquering whoever dares to oppose them. Within a framework of turn-based strategy and turn-based combat, Lords of the Black Sun endeavors to differentiate itself by providing players with the ability to beat their opponents by using generals, diplomacy, intelligence, trading, or plotting the downfall of enemies by financing wars against them or aiming to cause anarchy.

Lords of the Black Sun (PC), currently in Beta on Steam’s Early Access Program, has received a major new update, featuring the highly-awaited addition of multiplayer. Players are now able to forge in-game alliances with their best pals, or squash them with a galactic onslaught, in this original turn-based strategy game.

"We at Arkavi are pleased to announce the release of a brand new Beta build highlighted by the multiplayer mode,” said Mike Domingues from Arkavi Studios. “As always, we've been listening to the community's feedback and we made significant progress since the first Beta. We will continue to work hard to make the great space 4X game we and the community have been waiting for."

For a full list of changes please visit the official Steam community hub here.

Key Features:

• Eight major races each with their own ship designs, technologies, unique traits and unique abilities, meaning playing with each race is a different challenge and offers new ways to approach the game.
• Big, living universe: In addition to the major powers, independent races and pirate clans also claim the galaxy as their residence; their existence can be an annoyance, or a blessing if gamers take advantage of them.
• Deep economic and political layer: War isn’t the only way to weaken players’ rivals. Diplomacy, intelligence and trade can be one of many powerful tools that, if used properly, can be very effective as well.
• Tactical turn-based combat.
• Create and customize ship designs.
• Generals: These unique and powerful units evolve as they battle and if used well can be the difference between defeat and victory.
• Randomly generated universe, tech tree and units: gamers will never play the same game twice.
• Empire shattering: Unrest might lead rebels to start a civil war, which in turn might lead to the creation of a new, independent empire that might grow to rival one’s own.
• Plotting: Secretly finance a war against one’s rivals in order to weaken them or prepare a surprise joint war along with allies in a bid to destroy that frighteningly fast growing empire.
• Human-like AI that doesn’t cheat and plays by the same rules as human players, while presenting a constant challenge; conversely, play with one’s friends in Hotseat mode.