Blackbird Interactive published the first edition of their developer diary this week and finally started talking about its new game Hardspace: Shipbreaker in more detail. Also, the launch date of the early access version has been scheduled for June 16, so you start your spaceship-wrecking preparations already. The game is listed to release on PS4 and Xbox One on a later date as well, but PC players will be the first players in space.
The theme of Hardspace: Shipbreaker is disassembling spaceships in outer space. To escape earth's modern society and explore new horizons, we signed a dangerous job with an unscrupulous company called Lynx Corp. While we make good by money taking apart old space freighters and the likes, we have been heavily indebted ever since we started working here. As it turns out we became a modern slave to Lynx because they basically own our DNA contract-wise. If we try to escape them or die while working, they simply revive us, increasing our debt.
This personal story is accompanied with additional side-stories that are being told in the background helping the world to grow in terms of depth. Blackbird specifically mentioned messages left from the crew members who used to travel the universe on the ships before their ships came to us for scrapping. The more spaceships we shred, the more clues we get about the world of Hardspace: Shipbreaker.
From a gameplay perspective, you can expect a sandbox game with a focus on physics. The core loop is about mining materials to manufacture and upgrade equipment and, in turn, farm more valuable materials in the process. Because the physical rules in space are very different from what we can expect in our atmosphere, we always have to watch out for unforeseen sources of danger. With our powerful cutting tool, we can cut through almost everything, but we have to keep in mind that negligent mistakes can trigger an unforeseeable chain reaction, that might lead to our death.