The forerunner of the influential “4X” style, Master of Orion builds on the iconic eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate, gameplay that the original game pioneered. This re-imagined title stays true to its legacy, delivering on the promise of deep strategy, hard fought battles, diplomacy, and exploration—all with a healthy dash of humor.

Enhanced visuals, built from the ground up, breathe new life into the vast galaxy available to explore and conquer, as well as a fresh perspective on the original 10 races, each offering different styles of play. Within thousands of ever-changing galaxies, hundreds of unique technologies, and dozens of ships waiting to be tested, no two games will ever be the same.

Players can expect a revamped user interface, an orchestral score from the original game’s composer, voice-overs by well-known actors, new user tutorials, and more to deliver a classic yet fresh experience to one of gaming’s most respected franchises.

Master of Orion is another step closer to launch as WG Labs announces the availability of the Collector’s Edition offering Early Access to all who purchase, either on Steam or GOG.com

As of today, explorers can “Conquer the Stars” with six playable races, battle against friends in multiplayer or AI opponents and test their mettle in real-time Tactical Battles.

Early Access puts players first in line to experience all of Master of Orion’s iconic 4X gameplay and more. Six diverse races—Mrrshan, Psilon, Bulrathi, Alkari, Human, Sakkra—will be the first races to battle for supremacy of the galaxy, with more to arrive in the near future. There are many paths to victory for explorers in their quest for Orion, such as “Diplomatic”, “Conquest” and “Excellence”, and more on the horizon.

Multiplayer is a big part of the Early Access package. Explorers can lay down the gauntlet to friends across the world and challenge them to a campaign or embark on their own road to galactic conquest against AI races. Real-time Tactical Battles add a new, immersive dynamic to Master of Orion, letting players take their own, custom-designed fleets to war, where they must use every trick and tactic at their disposal to claim victory.

The launch of the Master of Orion grants players the three original Master of Orion titles. Upon the game’s final release later in 2016, a detailed digital art book, soundtrack by original Master of Orion composer, retro pixel ships, and an exclusive race for Collector’s Edition holders: the Terran Khanate become available.

During Early Access, Master of Orion will support 64-bit Windows PC, with other platforms and specifications to arrive later. The game will arrive with full English localization and its star-studded cast, as well as Russian localization. Explorers from across the world can expect German, French, Spanish, Czech, Polish, Turkish, Spanish (MX), Portuguese, Korean and Japanese to be implemented soon.