Today Paradox Interactive announced that the early access of its upcoming Stellaris spinoff Stellaris Nexus has been delayed.
The game will now be released in early access on Steam a week after originally planned, on December 12. The early access was supposed to start tomorrow, December 5.
Funnily, Paradox released a humorous video pinning the cause of the delay on tomorrow's massively-anticipated trailer debut for Grand Theft Auto 6.
Interestingly, the delay is more of a formality considering that an "open beta" will be made available on December 5, including all the content planned for early access. Progress will also transfer to the early access version when it launches.
Is this all a publicity stunt to piggyback on Grand Theft Auto 6's popularity? And if it is, have I just fallen for it?
Stellaris Nexus will be priced at $14.99 until its official launch, and it's a multiplayer turn-based 4X game that can be played in about an hour, which is definitely different from the hundreds of hours a good Stellaris campaign can take.
Up to 6 players can pick their factions, playing either with friends or with strangers via skill-based matchmaking.
The goal is to conquer the stars, from humble beginning on the players' homeworld to taking control of the Nexus, which serves as the galactic seat of power. This can be achieved through both military conflict and Diplomacy, in familiar Stellaris fashion.
For the moment, the game is coming to PC, developed by London-based studio Whatboy Games.
The original Stellaris is available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4, and it's one of the first of the genre to launch on consoles. If you'd like to learn more, you can read our review, which awarded the game with a 7.5 out of 10.
Recently, Paradox also launched Star Trek: Infinite, which uses the same engine and game structure as Stellaris, but based on the Star Trek universe.
