Sid Meier’s ‘Starships’ Coming To PC, Mac And Ipad

Deep Outerspace — Galaxies in deep space are seen in a 2005 handout photo from NASA. A giant hole in the Universe is devoid of galaxies, stars and even lacks dark matter, astronomers said on Thursday. REUTERS

The name Sid Meier should be familiar to several gamers. His various strategy games like "Civilization" and "Pirates!" have made him one of the more well-known game developers in the past few years. His work got so recognized that game companies actually put his name in front of the game to sell copies -- "Sid Meier's 'Ace Patrol'." for example.

Now, the popular developer teams up with frequent collaborator Firaxis for a new game titled "Sid Meier's Starships." The game will be set in the same universe as 2014's "Civilization: Beyond Earth." The developers will also be working on a cross connectivity system for people who have bought "Civilization: Beyond Earth" and will also buy "Starships." Polygon has screenshots of the game, along with some concept art for the spaceships that are rather detailed.

"Starships" will take place sometime after the events of "Beyond Earth" where humans have colonized their new home and start to build starships to explore the galaxy. The game will be a mix of exploring the galaxy, while taking part in turn-based space combat. Sid Meier stated this in a press release, published by Gamesutra: "My goal was to create an experience that focuses on starship design and combat within a universe filled with interstellar adventure, diplomacy, and exploration."

Players will take the role of a starship commander who ensures the safety and transportation for the game's planetary federation. They will be in charge of customising all the game's ships for either transportation or combat, while also researching future tech to help improve the ships and possibly its weapons. The goal of the game is to spread the influence of the federation across the galaxy.

The game, which is download only so far, is slated for an early 2015 release and will be available for PC, MAC and, surprisingly, the iPad, according to Touch Arcade. Sid Meier is no stranger to mobile platforms, as his "Civilization" games have been ported over to the mobile side; Meier has even released original IP for mobile platforms like "Sid Meier's Ace Patrol" and its sequel "Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies," all of which were released under 2K games.