Introversion Software, who are behind beloved titles such as Prison Architect, Darwinia, DEFCON, and Uplink, will unveil their new title this year.

Announced yesterday, The Last Starship is slated to be released in Steam Early Access in February. A synopsis for the space-based simulator reads:

Pick up a ship hull, and deck it out with engines, life support, sensors, and rail guns to see how it does out on a galactic battlefield. It’s up to the player to make critical choices as they take the helm of the starship, whether they’re pulling together an asteroid mining operation, rescuing civilians from an engine failure, or picking a fight with the pirates of the galaxy.
An entire crew awaits players’ command in The Last Starship. The game encourages players to not only build up their fleet of ships but to manage their crew, explore new areas, engage in real-time combat, and so much more. Every ship will need the basic equipment to get started, but as players progress through in-game missions, they can upgrade their spacecraft with weapons systems, mining lasers, and other unique add-ons.

A public demo of the game will drop this Thursday (January 26). In this demo, players will only gain access to the first three sectors. The Last Starship will also be featured in the upcoming Steam Next Fest (February 6 - February 23).

Mark Morris, Managing Director, Introversion Software said this about the title:

"We grew up watching Star trek and playing Elite before falling in love with BSG, Factorio and Kerbal and we’re so excited to be building a game based on those amazing influences. The game isn’t finished, this is only the beginning, but we know where we are headed and we hope you’ll join us - second star to the right and straight on till morning."

Wishlist The Last Starship on Steam here.

Key Features

Equip Your Ship: Let your imagination run free by designing a starship and equipping it with life-saving technology to protect the crew onboard.

Explore the Universe: The only way to know if a ship's design is good is to test it out. The sector map is the gateway to a procedurally generated universe. Each system has different missions, scenarios, and anomalies for the player to explore.
Process Resources: Space is cold, dark, and empty. To survive, the crew will need resources such as water, oxygen, fuel, and materials for building more ships.
Engage the Enemy: Take complete control over where to install your weapons. The game’s unique combat system will have the player strategically thinking on and off the battlefield.
Grow Your Fleet: As the starship grows, so will the requirements to keep everyone alive. You'll need to not only expand your current starship but design different ships with different capabilities to keep trekking through deep space.