In 1984, David Draben and Ian Bell were just two students attending their university, when they had a dream. Their dream was to make a video game unlike any other, greatly inspired by the sci-fi worlds of cinema, as featured in Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and The Last Starfighter. This work of love became a game known as Elite, a space combat and space trading simulator game. The game made quite the impression on various platforms and was incredibly unique amongst the plethora of other games at the time. Thiry years later, feeling the ambition to bring the game to a new audience, David, Ian, and the team at Frontier Developments were saddling up to make a new installment. However, unable to find a publishing deal, they took to Kickstarter and achieved resounding success. Elite: Dangerous, the newest incarnation of Elite, was released for PC platforms to resounding acclaim. Following this success, the game made its way to the Xbox One in 2015, achieving the same level of success as the game arrived at the console audience. Announced last week, Frontier Developments are bringing their infamous game to the PlayStation 4 next year.
For those unfamiliar, Elite Dangerous is a space combat and trading simulator, set against the backdrop of a massive galaxy that is yours to explore. Once players have learned the basics, the leash is removed, and the rest is left entirely to the player. Players can engage in space combat, bounty hunting, assassinations, planetary exploration, trading, managing crews, and so much more. Players will connect to other players, and either join up or take them down in a constantly growing and ever expanding universe. With this freedom, players are free to flow into the game as best as they see fit. Whether they want to jump headfirst into combat or take their time, avoiding combat whenever possible, the experience is all p to them. Later on, players will be able to command larger ships and utilize a crew to help defend themselves. There are bandits, pirates, criminals, and entire forces ready to stand against players and their progress in the game.
Unique to the PlayStation version will be the release of Elite Dangerous and all expansions up until that point, meaning PlayStation gamers will have plenty to work with when the game launches. They will immediately have access to a surface exploration vehicle to mine and explore. Worth noting, planets are quite important in Elite: Dangerous and players can use this to their advantage for activities, such as mining, or attack enemy bases to claim their territory.
Finally, the studio behind Elite Dangerous has spent a tremendous amount of time, detailing actual star charts and constellations to give players the most accurate simulation of the Milky Way Galaxy. Players who happens to be incredibly fond of space exploration will be able to accurately identify familiar constellations and celestial markings, including black holes, stars, quasars, nebulae, and much more.
It is unknown if Elite Dangerous on PS4 will merge with the PC or Microsoft community. However, Elite Dangerous is built on community, and PlayStation players will be able to dive into the rich galaxy that the game has to offer.
Elite: Dangerous is scheduled to release in the Second Quarter of 2017.