A new destination is now available: The Stormrock Major Update is live

The time has come: Stormrock, the biggest Species: Unknown update since the launch of Early Access, is now available!

After several months of work, our small team is incredibly happy to finally let you discover everything we've been working on.

Here's what's waiting for you: a new playable map, a new progression system, 72 Steam Achievements, new rewards to unlock, as well as improvements and fixes.

Get your crew ready. We're heading to HGC Stormrock.

Welcome to HGC Stormrock

You've spent countless hours exploring the corridors of the HSS Hawking ans it's now time to set foot on solid ground. HGC Stormrock is a new playable map, designed to offer a different experience from what you've known so far, while keeping everything that makes Species: Unknown what it is. This time, a part of your mission will take place outdoors, on a hostile planet where wide-open spaces don't necessarily mean you're safe.

"The main idea was to radically change the experience players had aboard the HSS Hawking. In an open environment, you'd naturally expect to feel safer. We wanted to turn that feeling on its head and make the planet itself hostile enough that going back indoors almost feels reassuring. Everything was designed to preserve the identity of Species: Unknown, while giving it a completely different form."

Nicolas, Creative Director

Of course, we don't want to show you too much here. HGC Stormrock was designed to be discovered directly in-game, and we especially can't wait to see your first expeditions, your first mistakes, and your first encounters with whatever is waiting for you out there.

"What I'd really like is for players to take their time on their first expedition. Stay together, explore as a group, wonder what's behind that hill or how to reach that building. Unlike the Hawking, you can genuinely get lost here. I'd love to see players move forward like real mercenaries discovering an unknown planet: cautiously, exploring, and relying on each other."

Nicolas, Creative Director

A New Progression System

The Stormrock Update isn't just about a new destination. With this update, we're also introducing Challenges, a new progression system designed to give you more objectives to pursue throughout your missions.

Challenges are organized into several tiers and allow you to progress through the ranks. As you rank up, you'll progressively unlock items in the shop, as well as emblems that you can display on your suit.

"Until now, once players had completed the tutorial, they were pretty much free to explore everything in any order. With the progression system, we wanted to guide that experience a little more: introduce mechanics gradually, give players objectives that naturally teach them how to play, and create a stronger sense of progression over time."

Guilhem Hounieu, Designer of the in-game progression system

72 Steam Achievements to unlock

You've been asking us for them a lot, and we mean a lot, since the game launched. They're finally here. 72 Steam Achievements are now available, some of which are directly tied to the new Challenges.

Whether you're discovering Species: Unknown today or already know every corner of the HSS Hawking, you now have plenty of new objectives to pursue.

Every player who played Species: Unknown before this update will also receive the exclusive "Pioneer" emblem, which you can display on your suit. It's our small way of thanking you for being part of this first year of Early Access with us.

The best time to come back to Species: Unknown

It probably comes as no surprise that, for a small team like ours, Stormrock represents a major milestone in the development of the game. If you haven't played Species: Unknown in a while, now is the time to get your crew back together.

And if you have friends who've been waiting for the right time to discover the game, bring them along. With Stormrock, Species: Unknown has never had this much content since its Early Access launch, while still being priced under $10.

We're also especially excited to see what content creators will do with this update. Your streams and videos have played a huge part in keeping Species: Unknown alive and growing throughout this first year.

So don't hesitate to stream your first expeditions on HGC Stormrock, record your encounters, and share your best moments. We'll definitely be keeping a close eye on all of it!

Full Changelog

Added

• New map "HGC Stormrock": A new and mysterious destination is now available for your contracts
• Progression system "Challenges": An entire progression system has been added, with tiered groups of in-game challenges to complete. Climbing the ranks progressively unlocks shop items
• Rank rewards: Unlocking a new rank grants a corresponding emblem to display on your suit. More cosmetic rewards will be added in future updates
• Steam Achievements: 72 achievements are now available on Steam, some of which are tied to the new in-game Challenges
• Exclusive "Pioneer" emblem: Players who played before this update receive an exclusive emblem to display on their suit

Changed

• Save wipe: Player progression has been reset to make way for the new progression system
• Improved private session security to prevent unauthorized access
• Player rank is now displayed on the ID card in the main menu and in the session list
• Player color and rank are now displayed for each player in the Crew Members menu
• Updated the in-game news text
• Updated the post-first-mission popup text to match the new rank naming system

Fixed

• Fixed a spot in the HSS Hawking's hydroponic farm where colored canisters could be inaccessible
• Fixed a softlock that could occur after the first mission popup when opening the Pause menu during the return cinematic
• Fixed the HUD remaining visible in the Game Over state after disconnecting and reconnecting

See you on HGC Stormrock

Stormrock is a particularly important update for our small team. We've been working on it for several months, and we're incredibly happy to finally put it in your hands.

As always since the beginning of Early Access, we'll now be keeping a close eye on your feedback, suggestions, videos, and any issues you encounter as we continue to improve Species: Unknown.

Get your gear ready, get your crew back together, and head out to discover what's waiting for you on HGC Stormrock: available now. Good luck out there.

The Species: Unknown Team WanadevStudio