Introversion Software is working on The Last Starship. The creators are showing an alpha version and inviting players for a future test on Steam. The indie developer is known for Prison Architect, which has sold more than four million copies.
In The Last Starship players start with an empty starship, which must then be equipped with propulsion, life support, sensors and weapons, and an ‘FTL drive’. That stands for Faster Than Light and with that drive it is possible to travel between star systems. It may also be a reference to the game FTL, which The Last Starship is partly inspired by.
The game will have procedurally generated missions. The developer cites examples such as building a mine on an asteroid, rescuing civilians on a transport with engine problems, and building an armada to battle pirates in the galaxy.
The creators are demonstrating an alpha version and players can request access to a playtest on Steam which is due sometime soon. The developers say the game is still a prototype with many placeholders and bugs. When the game will be released and what it will cost is not yet known.
Prison Architect is Introversion Software’s most successful game. The 1.0 version was released in 2015, after five years of work on the game. The indie game has sold well. At the beginning of 2019, 4 million copies had been sold. The developer then sold the rights to Paradox Interactive.