Endless Space 2 will feature eight playable major factions, each with their own asymmetrical gameplay, storyline, spaceships, heroes and technologies.

The Sophons and Cravers return from their debut in Endless Space and will be available in the Steam Early Access version releasing this summer!

Amplitude also is proud to roll out its Faction Creation Contest, designed for its robust community to submit its own concept for an entire faction for inclusion in Endless Space 2. The contest begins today, Thursday, August 11, and ends Thursday, October 13. Do you have the perfect alien race in mind? Participants can submit their concepts for review HERE.

The Faction Creation Contest is designed for all interested gamers to submit a fully-fleshed out faction to be included in Endless Space 2. The GAMES2GETHER Community will pick the winner. The contest comprises three phases:

1. Gameplay Design: Every faction in Endless Space 2 contains unique gameplay traits and functions. How does yours differ, fight, defend, and live? Here, you’ll also include a light backstory/biography.
2. Visual Design: What will your heroes look like, what is their habitat and how will your spaceships reflect and expand on your race’s beliefs?
3. Narrative Design: Expand on the background idea to develop their culture, their beliefs, how they interact with other factions or fight against enemies...

THE SOPHONS

Curious, analytical, and inquisitive, the Sophons are a people who pride knowledge above all else.

No theory -- or machine -- is so perfect that it couldn't be improved with a bit of tinkering; advances come both in great leaps and in tiny increments. And, occasionally, violent explosions.

The Sophons travel the galaxy driven by their thirst to discover and understand. As such, they view war as nothing more than a distraction from the important things in life. However, with their advanced technologies, they can become a surprisingly dangerous foe.

The Sophons evolved on Hekim, a cold and rocky world orbiting a blue star. Due to the high radiation levels of their sun they mutated and evolved quickly. As a result, despite their frail form and almost suicidal level of curiosity, the Sophons somehow survived the process of natural selection and developed a civilization.

In a surprisingly short time, the Sophons were traveling along the cosmic strings of the galaxy.

Sophons know which technologies have already been discovered. They also get a Science bonus when they are the first to discover a technology.

THE CRAVERS

Created by the Endless from an insectoid life form, the Cravers are in the purest sense hunter-gatherers who would never have independently evolved the systems and infrastructure needed to raise crops or domesticate animals.

Their life cycle is based on consumption, and as such they are capable of digesting any form of plant or animal matter. As their home world is close to being consumed, they must leave in search of further nourishment.

For if they do not continue to expand, discover, and exploit new worlds, their society will eat itself to death. Feeding the hive is their all-consuming purpose; the notions of 'treaty', 'trade', and 'peace' do not exist.

The Queen could be viewed as the leader of the society, but only in the sense that she has the capacity to refuse plans proposed by the Bishops.

She lacks a creative or directive role in the development of those plans, however, and simply passes judgment on them. In fact it is difficult to apply the concept of a political system to the Cravers, as a good two-thirds of their population barely have enough of a sense of individuality to understand the idea of casting a vote.