Starbase is a massively multiplayer online game with gameplay focused on building and designing spaceships and stations, exploration, resource gathering, crafting, trading, and combat. Alternatively the game features a sandbox mode where players can explore the game alone or with selected friends in their own universe.

Set in a universe of vast scale and detail, the fully-destructible environment and hybrid voxel/vertex-based game mechanics enable simulations in the game at immense depth; minor collisions may break a few outer plates from your spaceship, while fast-speed crashes can rip the ship apart. Thruster propellant pipe leaks may cause spaceships to stall, but the corrosive, leaking propellant might also melt the superstructure of the ship and cause a catastrophic failure. Damaged ship controls in a spaceship do not necessarily mean the journey is over, as manual values for the flight can be applied directly to the generator and thrusters from the engine room.

Starbase is developed with Frozenbyte’s internal game engine that is custom-built for conquering space, enabling the use of extremely challenging combination of voxel and vertex technologies in the game. The modern engine has been built specifically with Starbase in mind and the engine’s architecture is designed to handle all the quirks of simulation, damage, building, player amounts and the ever-growing universe to match the challenges the ambitious vision of the game can pose. Similarly, all features of the game have been developed with the infinite scale and the creative freedom of the players in mind.

Starbase has been in secret development for five years without restraints and the development will continue until the game’s bold vision is achieved. In the ever-expanding space the scale can range from the unit of one bolt to massive space station structures, with exploration missions varying from journeys to nearby asteroid fields, to salvaging ship debris, and eventually to other galaxies.

In Starbase players are given the freedom to build the kind of universe they want to, and a small group of players can eventually form large factions that challenge the powers that be. Being inventive will also help, as cleverness often triumphs over brute force in Starbase, and the only limitation is the creativity of the players.

The scale and depth of the simulation in all aspects of the game gives players the ultimate freedom to exploit their innovativeness and creativity – the building blocks of success in Starbase. From constructing single spaceships with durable outer platings to creating massive automated factories and designing electricity and data networks, the players are free to do it their own way.

Fully destructible environment and a multitude of fine-detailed simulations allow the players the ultimate freedom to conquer space by unleashing their creativity to design spaceships, stations, factories, find and exploit flaws in others' creations, and build their way to galactic supremacy.

Initially planned for May 2021, then delayed until June 17, 2021, developer Frozenbyte has pushed Starbase's Steam Early Access launch another month, now set for July 29, 2021.

After a long wait the Early Access is finally starting next week on Thursday, July 29th at 6.00 PM EEST / 8.00 AM PT / 3.00 PM UTC. Starbase will be priced at 32.99€ / $34.99 / £27.99, and kicks off with a weeklong 10% launch discount.

When Early Access begins, the Starbase universe will be a blank canvas ready to be populated. While many new core gameplay features such as the tech tree, crafting, ship easy build mode and station easy build mode will be available on release day, Frozenbyte CEO Lauri Hyvärinen wanted to be clear about the state of the game at launch: "Starbase launches into Early Access in a clear alpha stage, however the core features are well established and there's fun to be had for sure. Now is the time to finally open up Starbase to a bigger population and see how everything comes together. The scale and scope of the game will quickly start to show as we update more massive features to the game every two weeks in August and September, like Capital Ships and Station Siege mechanics!"

Many important gameplay loops are coming to Starbase shortly after launch. The idea behind the major content updates is to ease players into the big new features, and by introducing them a few weeks apart with planned dates announced, everyone will have time to prepare for their arrival.

Details about the August and September updates, as well as the whole 2021 Roadmap can be found below.

The Next Major Updates

After a short period of tranquil mining, ship and station designing and building, as well as relatively small scale pvp engagements, the post-launch period will quickly start to heat up. The August updates will introduce Moon Bases & Mining and the massive-sized Capital Ships, while the September update that introduces Siege Mechanics will send the world into full-scale calamity, as player stations will become fully destructible and capturable.

Complete 2021 Roadmap

Key Features:

• Destructible environment with voxel and fracture damage and in-depth simulation
  • The environment in Starbase is fully destructible, meaning everything can be destroyed or disassembled with the right kind of tools and weaponry.
  • The in-depth physics simulation enabled by hybrid voxel/vertex-based game mechanics make fights, exploration and flying spaceships more creative and fun and the simulation of structural and elemental durability in the game adds its own twist and challenge to the efforts to conquer space; poorly designed superstructures combined with overpowered steering thrusters can snap the spaceships in half if cutting corners too much in a space race.
• Play and interact online with thousands of players, join factions, and more
  • Start shaping the Starbase universe with fellow robots by joining and working for factions.
  • Build, fight, chat and group up with other players to discover and settle the vast galaxy that is waiting for its first conquerors to make their mark.
  • Mine asteroids by yourself, trade and haul cargo with your friends, or build a capital station with a huge company.
  • Take part in the battle between the Empire and the Kingdom, or leisurely explore the galaxy while the insurance system has you covered should you accidentally wander into uncharted space.
  • Success in Starbase is not measured in hours played or an endless grind, but in the ingenuity of each player and their ability to work together.
• Build and design your spaceships, stations and devices down to the tiniest detail
  • The smallest building unit in Starbase is a single bolt, allowing you to build, repair and modify spaceships, stations, and devices as you wish.
  • Even the smallest ships have thousands of parts, each with their own detailed damage model, making building and designing a truly creative process.
  • Learning to use the in-game programming chips will take building and designing to a new level; innovation, automation of ships and creating clever ship layouts will make all the difference!
• Explore the infinite universe and gather resources
  • Explore the vast universe to discover stations, social hubs and new raw materials. Arrange an exploration mission with friends and find out what the universe has to offer.
  • Travel to an asteroid field to mine raw minerals and salvage different materials from broken ships, trade materials at trading stations or steal from others if that floats your (space)boat.

Starbase is coming to Steam Early Access on June 17, 2021.