It’s Launch Day!
8 months ago
– Mon, Aug 28, 2023 at 09:01:06 PM
Here we are after 5 years of development--Sea of Stars has officially launched!
The game is out now on all platforms, and backer codes have been sent.
Even though it goes without saying, we are elated to finally put the game in your hands, and once again, want to take this opportunity to thank you for helping us in bringing this dream project to life.
FULFILLMENT UPDATE
Here’s how and when you can expect to receive all the rewards included with your pledge.
As always, If you need any support, please reach out to [email protected] or join us on Discord in the #fulfillment-support channel. We’ll do our best to answer everyone in a timely manner despite all the hecticness surrounding launch.
Digital game codes
As of posting this, the digital backer codes for all platforms have been sent via email. You’ll be receiving yours at the email address associated with your Kickstarter/Backerkit account as soon as they make it through.
Not that if you were set to receive codes for multiple platforms, they will arrive in separate emails.
The digital release of the artbook will initially release with 80+ pages, featuring content from the early chapters of the game, to give everyone time to play the game without encountering any spoilers that would be revealed by the artwork. Coinciding with the eventual release of the physical edition of the book, the digital release will be updated with content from the remaining chapters of the game.
For all backers (Kickstarter or BackerKit) whose pledge includes the digital artbook, downloads will happen through BackerKit.
Digital OST
For all backers (Kickstarter or BackerKit) whose pledge includes the Original Sound Track, downloads will happen through a Steam key. Those keys will be sent through a separate email.
Physical update
As mentioned in our previous update, our philosophy behind physical copies is that it should be able to act as a standalone product, without the need to download a patch of any sort. As such, we opted to offer all physical backers a free digital code, to allow the time for the game to release, and for us to address any reported notes from players.
This means we will send the official ROM to print after the first big patch (ETA Mid-October), which puts us in early 2024 for the prints to be finalized and ready to ship.
Alright, time to play now!
Thank you all once again for the overwhelming support and positivity throughout the years, we can't wait for all of you to finally get your hands on Sea of Stars. From our hearts to yours, we hope you are looking forward to a great adventure.
-Saboteam
Launch Trailer + Standard Physical Release
8 months ago
– Tue, Aug 22, 2023 at 07:01:41 AM
Hello dear backers & supporters!
Emotions are flying high at the studio with only one week left until we push the button to release Sea of Stars into the world.
We're keeping ourselves busy until then, so let's look at the latest news!
THE LAUNCH TRAILER IS OUT!
We've been floating the idea of revealing a fourth playable character along with the launch trailer. In the end, we did go for it. There won't be any spoilers in this post, but if you prefer not to see the character reveal, we recommend avoiding the launch trailer for now!
The final week's ramp up to launch is by far the most critical moment for us, especially amidst all the high profile releases surrounding our launch window. So, now more than ever, if we can ask for your help one last time, the best way to bring eyeballs is to leave a comment on the video on YouTube, and share this tweet.
A STANDARD PHYSICAL RELEASE IS HAPPENING, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IAM8BIT.
As early supporters you probably already have your backer-exclusive physical orders settled, but this could be good news for any non-backer friends that might have missed it!
More details will come later this Fall. For anyone wanting to keep in touch, the best is through this newsletter: bit.ly/8bitseaofstars
Physical copies arrive early 2024.
Our philosophy behind physical copies is that it should be able act as a standalone product, without the need to download a patch of any sort. With this idea in mind, we opted to offer all physical backers a free digital code, to allow the time for the game to release, and for us to address any reported notes from players.
This means we will send the official ROM to print after the first big patch (Mid-October), which puts us in early 2024 for the prints to be finalized and ready to ship.
FULFILLMENT UPDATE
The digital backer codes will be sent to the email address associated with your Kickstarter/BackerKit account the moment the game releases on August 29th, along with the other digital rewards (artbook and soundtrack).
If you need any support with your pledge, please reach out to [email protected].
THAT’S IT FOR NOW!
It wouldn't be possible to describe in words how we feel right now. In exactly seven days this dream project of ours will be sent out into the world for all to see. Putting the finishing touches over the past couple of months, there has been a unanimous sentiment on the team that we genuinely ended up with something we would consider special.
So, thank you all once again for the overwhelming support and positivity throughout the years, we can't wait for all of you to finally get your hands on Sea of Stars. From our hearts to yours, we hope you are looking forward to a great adventure.
-SaboTeam
FOOTNOTES
As we are self-publishing, growing awareness is paramount throughout production. Now more than ever as we’re getting close to the game’s release. If you have a moment to help us even more than you already have, here are a few ways you can can do so in 30 seconds or less:
Invite a friend or internet traveler to do any of the above!
Certification Complete + Documentary Now Available
8 months ago
– Tue, Aug 15, 2023 at 09:01:20 AM
Hello dear backers & supporters!
There are only two weeks left until launch, and we are happy to confirm that Sea of Stars has officially passed certification on all platforms!
This means everything is locked in and out of hands now--like everyone else, we're just waiting for it to go live on August 29th, which is proving to be one of the most challenging steps of this whole journey!
THE 'MAKING OF' DOCUMENTARY FROM THE ESCAPIST IS NOW AVAILABLE
Back in April, The Escapist’s documentary team flew to Québec City to visit our studio for a few days. We had a great time sharing our story and opening up about our process a little more. As of today, you can watch the full thing (runtime 35 minutes) on their YouTube channel.
In case you are worried about spoilers, since the documentary was a Kickstarter stretch goal meant to release before launch we made sure not to show or discuss anything outside of what has been shown already in trailers and social media posts. So, if you have been avoiding everything so far it's probably best to save this one for later, but if you have been keeping up, rest assured that you won't find any spoilers in there!
We want to thank everyone at The Escapist for the amazing opportunity. Working with them has been a real treat, and we will remain forever grateful at how they managed to capture such an important moment of our lives. One for the old days!
If you feel like spreading the word, the best way is to like the video, leave a comment on YouTube, and share this tweet.
Enjoy!
FULFILLMENT UPDATE
The digital backer codes will be sent to the email address associated with your Kickstarter/BackerKit account the moment the game releases on August 29th. The other digital rewards (artbook and soundtrack) will also be distributed via email on launch day.
As we’ve mentioned when bonus digital keys were added to the relevant packages, the physical goods need more time to be manufactured and shipped. We’ll update everyone as soon as we have a better idea of when we expect them to be delivered.
If you need any support with your pledge, please reach out to [email protected].
THAT’S IT FOR NOW!
Only two weeks left until you all get to explore the little world we built. As the press is busy playing the build and writing their reviews (embargo lifts August 28th, a day before launch), we join the wait while being thankful that it is now only a short one.
Thank you all once again for your overwhelming support.
-SaboTeam
FOOTNOTES
As we are self-publishing, growing awareness is paramount throughout production. Now more than ever as we’re getting close to the game’s release. If you have a moment to help us even more than you already have, here are a few ways you can can do so in 30 seconds or less:
Invite a friend or internet traveler to do any of the above!
Gold Milestone, PlayStation Demo and PS+ Announcement
9 months ago
– Tue, Jul 25, 2023 at 07:07:39 AM
Hello dear backers & supporters!
This is it, the last week before we do our final submission to all launch platforms! Come Friday, Sea of Stars will officially have reached the Gold (master) milestone, and on its way to certification for the official release in 5 weeks!
While the team is hard at work making sure everything is ready, we also had a few updates to share, so here we go!
THE DEMO IS NOW AVAILABLE ON PLAYSTATION 4 AND 5
As announced via PlayStation social media today, the demo is now available on both PS4 and PS5! This means that the demo is now officially available on all launch platforms.
The announcement was accompanied by the publication of a whole new post on the official PlayStation blog, where Sabotage’s Level Designer Philippe Dionne gave an overview of the design philosophy behind all things traversal in Sea of Stars. You can read it all here!
If you feel like helping us spread the word, the best way is by liking and sharing this tweet.
Demo Content
This is the exact same demo that was already released on Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Xbox, including the minor updates that followed.
While the demo features areas that will be part of the final game, we made sure to pick a slice that did not reveal any major spoilers from the main story. It is designed to give a hint of context, but mostly showcase some gameplay systems and mechanics around dungeon crawling and combat. It aims to provide a sense of the tone and vibe without giving away major points of the journey.
Got any feedback? Feel free to come talk to us and share your thoughts in the #sos-demo-feedback channel on Discord!
SEA OF STARS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PS PLUS EXTRA SUBSCRIBERS DAY 1
We’re very excited to announce that Sea of Stars will be available to even more players on launch day as it joins the PS Plus Extra catalog.
As mentioned at the time of the GamePass announcement, this deal means we will be getting better store placement and marketing support, which is critical on launch day to secure our long-term ability to focus less on fundraising and more on making games.
As September will be a very competitive month for releases, it is our hope that making Sea of Stars more easily accessible to more players will help us find a proper footing in the busy year that 2023 has been for gaming.
This isn’t an exclusive deal in any way, meaning it has no impact on our ability to bring the game to any other platforms or services. To be extra clear, Sea of Stars is still launching on Steam, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 on August 29th.
Deals such as these are a testament to the overwhelming hype surrounding the release of Sea of Stars and we’ll never forget that you guys we’re the very firsts to believe in the vision. We couldn’t be here without your support and, once again, we’re forever grateful.As such, if you feel inclined to change the platform for which you want to receive your copy of the game, you only have to drop us a line at [email protected] and we will make any requested changes despite the surveys being closed.
FULFILLMENT UPDATE: CRYPT & SURVEYS ARE CLOSED
Big thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out their backer survey! It is now time to move forward with the fulfillment process.
For backers with funds yet to be collected, please note that your credit card will be charged this Thursday, July 27th. This charge will appear on your bank statement as < SABOTAGE STUDIO>. Please make sure that you have the correct card information on file. If any issues arise with your payment you’ll receive an email letting you know to confirm payment information.
Should you need to review payment information, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://sea-of-stars.backerkit.com/.
If you have physical rewards, it’ll still be possible to update your shipping address in your survey even if the rest of the info is locked. There will be a final notice before it also gets locked in time for delivery.
Regarding the Crypt, our artists recently finalized all the hand-crafted monuments for our top backers! The rest of the memorials (stones and statues) have also been integrated into the game. We hope you’ve kept your retrieval code in a safe spot to find yours throughout the 8,000+ memorials of the in-game Crypt!
Please note that at this point, we can’t make any more updates to Crypt submissions and names in the backer section of the credits.
If you need any support with your pledge, please reach out to [email protected].
THAT’S IT FOR NOW!
Okay, time to get back to the final stretch. There will be a lot happening over the next month, and we’ll make sure to keep you all updated as much as we can.
All the best,
-SaboTeam
FOOTNOTES
As we are self-publishing, growing awareness is paramount throughout production. Now more than ever as we’re getting close to the game’s release. If you have a moment to help us even more than you already have, here are a few ways you can can do so in 30 seconds or less:
Invite a friend or internet traveler to do any of the above!
Documentary Announcement + Demo Available now on Xbox
10 months ago
– Tue, Jul 11, 2023 at 10:10:32 AM
Hello dear backers & supporters!
As of writing this, there are less than 50 days left until Sea of Stars finally releases. Can you believe it? We can't.
Anyway, we’ve got a few updates to share today so let’s get into it.
DEMO & PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW ON XBOX
As featured in today’s ID@Xbox showcase, you can now download the Xbox playable demo. Pre-orders are also available, though as a backer you're most likely all set already! More info on the Sea of Stars’ Xbox store page.
If you feel like helping us spread the word, the best way is by liking and sharing this tweet.
Demo Content & PlayStation Rollout
This is the exact same demo that was already released on Nintendo Switch and Steam, including the minor updates that followed. For those waiting on the PlayStation release, that's still happening ahead of launch! Stay tuned!
While the demo features areas that will be part of the final game, we made sure to pick a slice that did not reveal any major spoilers from the main story. It is designed to give a hint of context, but mostly showcase some gameplay systems and mechanics around dungeon crawling and combat. It aims to provide a sense of the tone and vibe without giving away major points of the journey.
Got any feedback? Feel free to come talk to us and share your thoughts in the #sos-demo-feedback channel on Discord!
SEA OF STARS WILL COST $34.99 USD
As a backer, you are most likely already set as far as game copies go, we're just keeping you updated on the happenings of the project.
At the end of a long analysis, thorough discussions with fellow devs, and looking at similar titles, we landed on a price that accomplishes our two main goals: first, to be as affordable as possible, and second, to secure our ability to work on the next game.
Starting from the $34.99 USD baseline, we will make sure to apply regional pricing skewed towards the buyer. This only means more people will experience the story we crafted, which is a big plus for us!
All in all, we truly believe that after the game has been played through and through, players will feel like it was a fair ask for the serving they got.
A DOCUMENTARY MAKING OF IS COMING, COURTESY OF THE ESCAPIST
During our Kickstarter campaign, one of the stretch goals was the addition of a behind-the-scenes documentary. Well, here’s a first glimpse at an upcoming piece produced in collaboration with The Escapist!
If you feel like helping us get the trailer seen, the best way is to like and share this tweet.
Their team flew to Québec in order to visit the studio for a few days back in April, and sit with a few members of the team for some interviews.
We had in-depth conversations about the vision for Sea of Stars, daily life at the studio, our hopes, our challenges, and reflected upon our 7 years journey as Sabotage.
We won't say anymore for now, the full documentary comes out on August 15th!
BACKER SURVEY REMINDER: ORDERS LOCK TOMORROW
This is the final warning regarding the backer survey. At 2PM EST tomorrow, the orders will be locked and you won’t have access to your survey anymore. Until then, you can still go back to it and make any necessary updates.
If you never received the backer survey, please reach out to us right away at [email protected].
For BackerKit pre-order backers who haven’t been charged yet, we’ll process those payments at the end of the month.
THAT’S IT FOR NOW!
Stay tuned for more announcements as we get steadily closer to launch. Debug is going well and we expect the game to hit the GOLD (bug free) milestone at the end of July, which will leave us a full month for the certification process, and to ensure everything is in proper shape to welcome all of you.
We’ll be back with more news soon. And as always, thank you for the positivity and support, it helps a lot in this final stretch! <3
All the best,
-SaboTeam
FOOTNOTES
As we are self-publishing, growing awareness is paramount throughout production. If you have a moment to help us even more than you already have, here are a few ways you can can do so in 30 seconds or less:
