Playable Worlds pushed Stars Reach hotfix 8.4.3, its third since early access opened. A planned half-hour downtime stretched into several hours and worlds came back with no objects on them.
Playable Worlds opened paid early access for Stars Reach on Steam on August 18, seven years into development. The studio admits it is still wrestling with its servers, and the first Steam reviews landed mostly negative.
Playable Worlds closes years of Stars Reach testing and moves to paid early access on August 18. On Steam the studio commits to staying in that stage for at least six months and going free-to-play at 1.0.
Playable Worlds recapped the final playtest weekend of Stars Reach: a load test with no published numbers, a homesteading event caught on video, and the creator program, which restarts with early access on August 18.
Playable Worlds has closed the Stars Reach playtest servers for good to prepare the August 18 early access launch, warning that the debut build is only a first step.
Playable Worlds has shipped Calm Before the Storm, the final big patch before the August 18 early access launch: a crafting overhaul, a new loot system, a weapon balance pass, basic controller support and an almost entirely redesigned interface.
Raph Koster's sandbox MMO finally has a date: it hits Steam Early Access on August 18 with three buy-in packs at $30, $50 and $80.