DayZ’s Dean Hall says his new sci-fi survivalbox Stationeers is launching early access in September, and he isn’t sugarcoating the game’s difficulty.
You might remember Stationeers from its rather casual reveal back in March, hot on the heels of the apparent cancellation of Dean Hall’s other big sci-fi game, Ion, an EVE Online-inspired MMORPG that dissolved in a puddle of cagey and contradictory statements from the studios and platforms involved.
Stationeers, however, isn’t an MMO; it’s a sandbox, and it hates you, so don’t be fooled by the adorable graphics. “This is not a casual game,” Hall’s studio, RocketWerkz, says.
“Easy to start but hard to master. Well, kind of easy. Maybe not really. This game has been designed for the hardcore players who want games that are very systems oriented. This is a game about complex systems and how you optimize them. The game presents a variety of science-based survival problems that you have to solve yourself, and then try and optimize your solutions over time. For those not seeking a very intensive and hardcore experience, this game is not for you.”
Given that Hall was — let’s say outspoken — about rival ARK: Survival Evolved’s high launch price, you might be surprised to learn that he has noted he’ll also probably raise the price of Stationeers at launch.
“Our current plan is to increase the price, probably substantially, when the game is fully released,” the Steam page says. “However no firm decisions have been made on pricing, and none will be made without publicly discussing with the community.”
