Factorio developer Wube Software has released new information regarding the upcoming Factorio expansion.
The expansion, which will officially be called Factorio: Space Age, will see you building complex factory machinery in space, exploiting planets for resources and managing a "fleet of interplanetary space platforms".
We first got wind of this expansion back in 2021, when it was officially unveiled by Wube Software.
Following that, the studio clarified that the expansion was still in development in early 2022, and that its launch would coincide with the 1.2 update.
In a new blog post elaborating on Space Age, however, Wube makes reference to "version 2.0", so it sounds like that's the update we'll be getting alongside the expansion.
Last time Wube discussed the expansion, the studio outlined a 7-step plan and said it was currently at step 4, or "connecting systems into a prototype".
As of today's blog post, however, Wube says it's at the end of step 5 and is beginning to move into step 6. This means the developer is transitioning out of the "first pass of tweaking" and into the beta test stage.
Wube has also released more information about exactly what we can expect from Factorio: Space Age.
You'll be sending multiple rockets to space, building bases on different planets, each of which is predefined with its own theme and set of challenges. The order in which you take on planets is "an impactful strategic choice", according to Wube.
Alongside the expansion, Factorio 2.0 will also include a ton of balance changes and improvements that will impact all players, not just those who buy Space Age.
These changes include better train system control, improved blueprints, "better flying robot behavior", and more. We'll learn more about these changes in future Factorio blog posts.
Modder Earendel, who created the popular Space Exploration mod for Factorio, also acknowledges the similarities between this new expansion and their mod in the blog post. However, Earendel says they're also working on Space Age.
Earendel says they "made the first space + planets prototype builds" and were involved in "most of the gameplay discussions" surrounding Space Age.
According to Earendel, differences include length (150 hours minimum for Space Exploration and 60 hours minimum for Space Age), as well as complexity levels, target audience, and more unique gameplay.
Right now, we don't have a release date for Factorio: Space Age, but Wube says it's aiming to release the expansion, which will be paid content, "about one year from now".
Between now and then, the developer will release regular information about the expansion every week, so there shouldn't be too many more periods of radio silence.
Until then, you can pick up Factorio right now on PC and Nintendo Switch.
