A new crowdfunding campaign for Star Control successor Free Stars: Children Of Infinity has just gone live on Kickstarter.
Described as a "passion project from veterans of Toys for Bob, the original creators of The Ur-Quan Masters and the beloved Free Stars universe," Free Stars: Children Of Infinity is the work of Pistol Shrimp, a studio founded in 2021.
"We are excited to finally share the next chapter in our epic space saga, continuing from a classic game with a massive legacy," adds the company.
In case you weren't aware, The Ur-Quan Masters is a multi-platform, open-source port of the 3DO version of Star Control 2, which comes packed with new features. It was recently reissued as Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters for free on Steam.
Here's some PR on the sequel:
Free Stars: Children of Infinity is an action-adventure game inspired by the golden age of science fiction, defined by its hopeful future, wondrous technology, and a grandiose galaxy filled with eclectic stories.
You are the captain of a mission to the farthest reaches of space, where you'll discover thousands of exotic worlds and dozens of alien denizens. Some are friendly, some are terrifying, and some are just plain weird.
It’s up to you to decide how to acquire allies, confront threats, and ultimately protect a universe still recovering from the onslaught of the terrible Ur-Quan overlords.
Pistol Shrimp says "when you purchase a copy of Free Stars: Children of Infinity, you're getting the full game. Now and forever. There are no additional DRM measures, beyond what first parties like Steam require. There are no licenses, microtransactions, or subscriptions. This is not a game as a service, and the multiplayer does not rely on any servers that could disappear in the future. You can play offline or locally on a network with a friend, and you can mod it to do whatever you can imagine. We can make this promise because we rely on no proprietary code except what we author ourselves."
The campaign's initial funding goal of $100,000 has already been surpassed, with more than $185,000 raised at the time of writing, with 30 days remaining.