Endless Space 2 is coming to Early Access in early October

The sci-fi 4X strategy game Endless Space 2 was, developer Amplitude Studios said in August, aiming for an Early Access release this summer. It missed. Hey, these things happen. But here's some better news: The studio today nailed down an exact and for-sure Early Access kickoff date of October 6.

“We did our best to hold the September release we had in mind and that we announced at Gamescom. However, this turned out a bit difficult in the end,” Amplitude explained. “With the feedback we've collected from our VIPs who played the pre-alpha version of the game, we knew we had a fun game in our hands but it still needed some adjustments which we’ve worked on these past few weeks.”

The studio warned that the Early Access release will be an alpha version of the game, and as such it will be missing some features and also “include mechanics we want to improve with your help,” which is basically a nice way of saying that they aren't fully implemented just yet. But “the core gameplay will be there, so you’ll get a good idea of what the game is about already,” the studio wrote, which is really the point of Early Access releases anyway.

Amplitude recently released a gameplay overview trailer that neatly sums up what Endless Space 2 will offer in its initial release, and Wes and Phil whipped up a deeper preview that you can dig into right here. There's also a website that may have some useful information at endless-space.com.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.