Your weekly update on Stars Reach   HIDDEN FOG UPDATE This test cycle has been extremely helpful and we have a list of bugs we are working through – some of which you can see on the roadmap. Day and night visuals were improved. Volumetric fog and [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach   HIDDEN FOG UPDATE The mists parted yesterday and a new update came into view. You can patch your Stars Reach Playtest app in your Steam library as you read this newsletter. Day and night visuals were improved. Volumetric fog and [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach NEW UPDATE NEXT WEEK We have not yet announced what is coming in next week’s update but savvy observers have been watching our public roadmap. Update notes will be posted next week. We will leave you some surprises for that post, [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach ON THE GOVBOT UPDATE The GovBot update is the talk of the town right now but perhaps you have not read through the entire patch notes: https://starsreach.com/govbot-update. If you prefer to hear about it firsthand from one of the designers [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach*NEW* GOVBOT UPDATE The GovBot is a Transplanetary League construct that serves two purposes: It’s a sequence of tasks that a group of planetary pioneers can use to establish a township on a new planet, and; It enables the tools that the government [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach IMPORTANT UPDATE NEXT WEEK Our next content update, scheduled for next week, will be an important one. This will be the “GovBot Update” introducing player self-governance, claiming a planet, choosing a town mayor, the mechanics of zoning your town, citizenship, and [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach   RAPH EXPLAINS VISUAL UPDATES For months now, we have been working on a big overhaul to the visuals in Stars Reach. This has involved redoing most of the shaders in the entire game, and going back and retouching every asset. [...]

Hello Reachers!Yes, we have a new update for you to test. We named it after the Vendor Kiosk feature, but it also includes a bank, a storage crate, and a minor Halloween event. Vendor Kiosk Update You can now place a kiosk on your claim that you can [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach PLAYTEST SCHEDULE With backend service migrations and new update installations planned, our playtest schedule has adjusted for the next week. Bear with us on the complicated test schedule.   A TOUR OF PLAYER CONSTRUCTION ON AKACALA If you wanted to [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach PLAYTEST SCHEDULE A TOUR OF PLAYER CONSTRUCTIONS ON AKACALA If you wanted to go on the construction tour of Akacala but missed the stream, we have uploaded a recording to YouTube. These buildings are amazing. Highlights for me were the [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach PLAYTEST SCHEDULE We are currently closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but are open Thursday through Monday.   CONTROLLED CHAOS INTERVIEWS JUSTIN STREFLING The craziest Controlled Chaos interview yet – this time he interviews Playable Worlds Human Resources Manager Justin Strefling. This [...]

NEW: UNIVERSITY UPDATE There are a number of new features in this update including a new way to measure planetary ecological health, but what really caught peoples’ attention were the changes to skill trees. Built into this update is a way to view our future plans for [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach AMAZON WEB SERVICES CASE STUDY ON STARS REACH How can one offer engaging gameplay across space and worlds, with significance and permanence, at MMO density and scale, without requiring that players own powerful computers? Playable Worlds worked with Unity and AWS [...]

FROM THE STARS REACH LABORATORY We have uncovered an experimental concept that may or may not have involvement or funding from the Transplanetary League. The technician we questioned called them “turrets” or “turret concept”.  We are excited to bring you this video:   NEW LOGO FOR [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach This week was all about Performance Improvements Flora improvements (both visual and performance) Item limits and lighting limits on homesteads Wipes of existing worlds and reseeding them better But there were other Game Improvements as well! Testing a new version of [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach   Playtesting There is currently a 96-hour playtest running – our longest yet. These longer tests are a kind of stress test that teaches us valuable information in advance of moving into 24/7 continuous operation. The current test ends Tuesday, September [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach More changes to the Twilight Update! – We found a netcode issue and it was a biggie. Fixing it allowed us to improve your framerate. You should see some significant improvements to your frames-per-second. Tools and Weapons Refactor We overhauled the [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Welcome to the Twilight Update – so named because, among many other things, we have listed to player feedback that night was too dark and slightly reduced the darkness. Please tell us if we got it about right. Also in [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach This is the last weekend of testing for the Brave New Worlds update. Next week we will begin again with a new update starting Thursday. This weekend’s playtest schedule includes a 46-hour test running from Saturday morning to Monday morning!! [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Updates and fixes to Brave New Worlds were announced this week. The list is longer than expected here. In Thursday’s livestream, we showed some tips and tricks for capturing video in Stars Reach and some behind-the-scenes on the making of a new [...]

Many changes are being implemented with every update in preparation for the 24/7 service. There's a lot more coming soon in the next few weeks and, as always, we leak some internal information here and there... because, why not?!

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Saturday we will properly introduce the new update entitled Brave New Worlds in a livestreamed Fireside Chat hosted by Dave “Qix” Georgeson and Rick “Carneros” Reynolds on Twitch.TV/PlayStarsReach at 9am Pacific/noon Eastern During today's livestream, we announced C.H.A.R.L.I., The TPL's mascot! [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach We dropped a bombshell revelation at last Saturday’s Fireside Chat when Raph showed screenshots of an upcoming update to our terrain including increased plant density, improved foliage detail, and volumetric fog at reduced overall performance cost. See the recording of the [...]

This Fireside Chat revealed something epic... Not only did we discuss the latest update, "Cosmic Calibration", but we also introduced the new look of Stars Reach that is being worked on in the background!

Your weekly update on Stars Reach New Update: Cosmic Calibration was released this week – built in major part on the capabilities of a newly-improved network layer. Update notes here: Cosmic Calibration Build Notes Tomorrow is our next livestreamed Fireside Chat at 9:00am Pacific time. Join us [...]

June 28th marks our announcement anniversary, when we first shared with the world what we've been doing behind the curtains for years. Join the Anniversary Livestream hosted by Rick (Carneros), Logan (Leric), and Kurt, our audio expert!

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Our first long playtests!  In preparation for our game going live 24/7, we hosted 2 playtests this week that ran longer than 12 hours each. We are testing the performance of our worlds over time. What did you think?  We celebrated [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Screenshot of the Week: GUNC (Galactic Union of Natural Conservation) gives us a beautiful, time-lapse view of a gorgeous planet reached through a wild wormhole: Change to Playtests next week!  In preparation for our game going live 24/7, we [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach We had a fun Play with the Devs event yesterday with a simultaneous livestream. The livestream answered questions, leaked screenshots showing improved performance in the next release, and gave away prizes including one Explorer Tier package. Randomly, both prize winners [...]

We don't know how or when, but a strange-looking warp light thingy appeared right behind an asteroid in the Stars Reach Universe. We call it The Wormhole, although someone suggested the name Mario, but we thought it didn't quite fit. Where does this wormhole bring us? What [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Our next Fireside Chat is tomorrow, June 14, 2025, at 9am Pacific/ noon Eastern. Come hear more about our new update entitled Wild Wormholes! Read more about our Wild Wormholes update here: https://starsreach.com/wild-wormholes-update/ Play with the Devs…and Win a Kickstarter Reward! [...]

Finkyhead is pleasantly surprised that their underwater “door” still keeps the water out of the submerged homestead! Your weekly update on Stars Reach Lore drop! These are a big favorite around the office. Raph wrote Another Day’s Work himself. You can read it here: https://starsreach.com/another-working-day-part-one [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Better Homes & Gardens Update is the current update Full version patch notes: https://starsreach.com/build-notes At last week’s GameBeat Summit 2025, Playable Worlds President & Co-founder Eric Goldberg teamed up with celebrated games exec and VC Mitch Lasky to present some thoughts [...]

Rick and Dave are back with another Fireside chat, introducing "Better Homes and Gardens" Update and more news regarding upcoming changes, gameplay improvements, and world generation.  

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Better Homes & Gardens Update just launched and there’s a lot to tell you about. Full version https://starsreach.com/build-notes/  XP refunded and reset so you’ll be able to respend your XP differently Full flora reset and respawn due to changes in [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach What are the players doing this week? Building the largest building in Stars Reach: https://youtu.be/377j5t5NRCM  New folks experiencing Stars Reach: Befriending Jackalopes:  New Q&Raph video talks about changes for 24/7 operation and the in-game economy: Coffee with [...]

The Stars Reach Team is preparing for a new working plan where stability, optimization, and new features will all be part of the next updates. But more hasn't been discussed: the economic system, its effects on the game mechanics, and how everything will evolve around the 24/7 [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach What have the players done this week? “That’s the craziest thing I have ever seen in any video game!” and he captured it on video: https://youtu.be/XTmaGQynIjg?t=52 Players are enjoying the “Physics Midterm” build and showing us how we can expect [...]

Rick and Dave are back again with an amazing Fireside Chat event, where Stars Reach's next steps are discussed and briefly presented. Some features will evolve, adding more shape to the progression system, while new ones will be added with the release of each update! Also, during the [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Build update: Skills and World Changes World Update: Adhesion changes World Update: the solid & liquid density values of many substances was updated in the new build. XP Changes (rates of XP gain have been equalized [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Backer Invites + Discord Backer Badge. If you submitted your Backer Surveys before April 18th: New testers got an invite from FirstLook with a playtest schedule and instructions. (Check your spam folder if you don’t see it!) Existing testers will not [...]

We're back with another amazing interview, with today's special guest Sean Weeden, Graphic Designer for Playable Worlds! However, he doesn't work only on designs, but much... much more! Websites, 3D models, art, music, what else? Join us and get to know the 'Magik' Sean! [...]

Your weekly update on Stars Reach The first waves of Kickstarter backers have now come into the game. Most people have filled out and returned their Kickstarter Backer Survey. Check your spam filter if you can’t find the survey. We need this to fulfill your rewards. Instructions [...]

What's coming soon and what to expect from the next build(s)? Check out the latest Fireside event hosted by Rick and Dave, and get ready for something... new!

Your weekly update on Stars Reach Kickstarter Backer Survey has been sent out! Check your spam filter, etc. You will want to fill this out. This helps us fulfill your rewards. Tomorrow, Saturday at 9:00am Pacific/ noon Eastern we will have our Fireside Chat #41. We will [...]

Your weekly update:   With the Kickstarter campaign finished, we are preparing for a handover of a customer list and setting these people up with their entitlements and access Backers: watch for an email next week from FirstLook.gg (not PlayableWorlds.com) Existing testers: you will not be [...]

What does being part of a new gaming community feel and what challenges does a community manager usually face? Join us in this interview with Rick, Thomas (Community Manager), and two special guests: Leric Dax and Lemonous, 2 of the Stars Reach moderators! https://youtu.be/L1c25SZoPCg?feature=shared

Currently, we have two types of shield in the game: the Fortress Shield and the Reflection Shield. All shields share a few similar behaviors: They use the entire shield battery to activate the shield and fill its capacitor. They last for a maximum duration after being activated (but [...]

With the Stokadi unlocked by our Kickstarter stretch goals, the hoped-for launch set of species is complete!We’ve mentioned before that we aimed at a “breakfast club” set of characters: a bubbly one and a big jock, a slacker and a mischievous misbehaver and a nerdy type… the set [...]

Welcome to a new Fireside Event with Rick, Dave, and Light! Last 48 hours of the Kickstarter campaign! What will be next? There is also a new build called Procedural Creatures Updates... what's new?   https://youtu.be/5rTW51ORKDE?si=fRLiGcRzKyFgHLMY  

We’ve watched you build. A lot. And although you sometimes use the building systems and pieces in ways they were originally intended, it’s the spectacular things you create by using them in ways that we didn’t expect that lead to the most stunning creations.So we want to adapt [...]

In this latest interview, we dive deep into planetary variety, portals, professions, and the vision for quests and the contract system. Plus, ever wondered how player creativity will shape the universe? Or how shops and housing will work? We've got answers! https://youtu.be/AaZEesa3em4?feature=shared    

By Meghann Bledsoe INFINITE WORLDS, INFINITE POSSIBILITIES We’ve talked previously in a dev blog about procedural generation and how Playable Worlds leverages it to make infinite worlds possible. The procedural generation of new landforms is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to giving players new [...]

The Fae have been core to the concept of Stars Reach since close to the very beginning. They are central to the core storyline of our universe, in ways that you are learning about in the recent lore story “Staying Grounded.”  In thinking about their visual appearance, [...]

Let's talk about Stars Reach VFX with Johnny Ow! From dust clouds to dynamic fog, learn how visual effects are an essential puzzle piece for the in-game experience. What are his favorite tools? And what excites him the most about the Game launch?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CsBDA_xD0w [...]

In our second post, we talk about sound effects. In this third and final post, I’ll talk about voice-over and music. VOICE-OVER Voice-over refers to any spoken lines recorded by humans speaking them. This is typically narrative dialogue and exposition, but is also, importantly, the less-important off-hand [...]

We've been releasing weekly Q&A videos with Raph, diving into Stars Reach's story, core gameplay, and space travel. Learn about what inspired the game’s creation, how the concept evolved into development, and the challenges faced along the way. Explore the mechanics that define the experience and uncover [...]

When it comes to server coding and technical questions, Damon’s your guy. And…. when it comes to game vision and updates, Dave’s the best. But for game leaks? Well… they’re both guilty. And they’re both good.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkFERBSpEg0

When players get together into friend groups, they often form a Guild in order to share common goals. The guild structure lets them communicate and share resources more easily, and in many games, it also lets them share a guild hall and guild logo. GUILD TYPES IN STARS [...]

What goes into the art and style of Stars Reach? And what can you expect in the future? Join us as we interview Magnus Hollmo, the Art Director of Stars Reach, to uncover the creative vision behind the game! https://youtu.be/QYTD0gENtSk  

The Hyugon species has been one of the trickiest for us. We knew we wanted to have one “alien” species derived from classic Greens and Grays in some way, or for them to at least echo the spirit of older sci-fi back when special effects for aliens [...]

We just unlocked the Hansian species as one of our stretch goals for our Kickstarter. We have been working on developing the other species we want in the game for a long time now, and have always hoped to have eight in place. Eagle-eyed players spotted the appearance [...]

You’ve only seen “basic crafting” so far, and it’s not even complete yet. So let’s start this article with a brief overview of the sections for crafting. ACQUIRE THE RECIPE Recipes are known by everyone (with rare exceptions). But having the skill to actually craft that recipe [...]

By Kurt Larson In the first post I outlined our overall approach to audio and why we do it that way. With all that in mind, here we can take a deeper dive. DETAILS Within the over-arching role audio plays in a game, different layers of audio [...]

I'm Kurt Larson; I do the audio on Stars Reach. Since we're trying to communicate our vision to the players, I thought I'd try to give some insight into how we are approaching audio on the project. I have responsibility for our audio, but the creative-approval team [...]

The centerpiece tech in Stars Reach is the world simulation. We know the material, temperature, state of matter, flow rate, adhesion rate, and humidity for every cubic meter of the world. Among other things, this means that you can modify the terrain. As in, make holes in it. Yup, [...]

Oh boy, the past few months in Stars Reach have been wild! New planets, new gameplay systems, the galaxy is changing in ways that make exploration, building and combat more fun than ever. Between November 2024 and January 2025 we’ve added new planets, refined mechanics, and released Homesteading [...]

Procedural World Generation in Stars Reach By Meghann Bledsoe Stars Reach is a game where there’s always something new to discover around the corner whether it be new ways to interact with other players or with the environment. So how do we make huge numbers of [...]

We all enjoyed your video interview months ago at the announcement of Stars Reach. That was recorded in May and debuted in June. (Editor’s note: it’s here if you missed it.) What’s been the most rewarding or unexpected development in your work since the June 2024 announcement?Avi: The fact [...]

By Carneros & Rod TEST ONE! On Saturday October 19th, we ran a world exploration test in Stars Reach. In this pre-alpha version of the game we haven't tuned for difficulty, are using many placeholder artworks, and are aware that we still have [...]

If you read our last blog post, you heard about the features we plan to test this weekend. To date, we have been unlocking only specific features in each test, and trying them out in isolation, rather than letting testers play with all the systems we have [...]

By Dave Georgeson We strongly believe there are three core elements at the heart of a great, massively social MMORPG. Fun and compelling moment-to-moment gameplay, a thriving global economy you're excited to participate in, and satisfying character advancement. These are all married together and intertwined like ivy [...]

 In this devblog, Raph explains the in’s and out’s of the Stars Reach camera and movement systems. All of these systems are things our testers got to try out in our most recent playtests.Check out some excerpts from our most recent test, courtesy of Alimber. [...]

By Raph Koster I think this may actually be the last of the posts outlining the high level goals of the game! And just in time too, because the very first Reachers are going to be landing on a planet in Stars Reach this weekend. That’s right, [...]

by Raph Koster Hi everyone, I’m kicking off a little series of posts here on what our core game pillars are. These are the defining philosophies that animate everything in the game design. They tell us what the game is, and what the game is not. When we [...]