Multiplayer Sci-fi Sandbox Starship Simulator Has Raised Over $386K On Kickstarter

Starship Simulator is a new indie multiplayer sci-fi sandbox game that might just bring home the trophy as the biggest Kickstarted MMO of the year. It’s now raised $386,097 with over 4,200 backers chipping in to help fund developer Fleetyard Studios’ initial $82,000 funding goal and then some. There’s still 10 days left in the crowdfunding campaign so that number is bound to go up, especially in the last few days.

As the game’s title suggests, Starship Simulator will allow players to build their own starship and fly it across a 1:1 scale version of the Milky Way with a plenty of planets to explore and alien races to meet. It promises a complex building system and flight model that conforms to the laws of physics with the goal of making gameplay as immersive as possible.

“This project is a marriage of our two greatest passions; nerding out over the design and engineering of massive space vessels, and gazing up to the heavens at night, wishing we could explore those tiny points of light to see what’s really out there,” says the devs. “We’ve been keen from the outset that all of our starships should be built from the ground up as though they were real vessels, employing the same tools and techniques used to design real-world mega-ships.”

Players will have access to a variety of parts and tools that will allow them to build ships of all shapes and sizes, from small scout ships with half a dozen crew members to massive multi-deck cruisers that will require multiple teams to run.

They’ll also be able to choose what role they’ll play within the starship. Aside from taking on a command role, players and their buddies can also take on the role of deck crews, science officers, engineers, medical personnel, weapons and security officers, and stewards, or they can simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride as a passenger. The rest can be filled out with NPCs who are fully capable of running the ship on their own.

Starship Simulator is still in its pre-alpha phase with most of its key features already in place. Funding will go towards polishing the game up to get the game ready for early access release. There’s currently no timeline for early access launch, but a free-to-play tech demo is available on Steam if you want to take the game for a spin.