The Stormrock major update lands on October 29

We've been working on the next major update for Species: Unknown for several months now, and today we can finally announce that it will be available in just a few days! We can't wait for you to experience it.

Stormrock, the biggest Species: Unknown update since the launch of Early Access, releases on October 29.

A new chapter for Species: Unknown

Species: Unknown has evolved a lot thanks to your feedback and suggestions since the beginning of Early Access, but the Stormrock Update marks a major milestone. Our small team has been working on it for several months, and the update will notably introduce:

• A brand-new in-game progression system
• Steam Achievements, which a lot of you have been asking for
• And most importantly, an entirely new playable map: HGC Stormrock. Here's a short gameplay sequence to give you a glimpse of what's waiting for you, without revealing too much.

I asked Nicolas, Creative Director on Species: Unknown and the main developer behind this new map, to share some insight into its design and what he wanted to bring to the game compared to the environments you already know.

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

Nicolas, Creative Director

Steam Achievements have been one of the most requested features from the community. Adding them required us to rework some of the game's underlying systems, which is also why progression will be reset with the Stormrock Update. Most importantly, we’re taking this opportunity to introduce a proper progression system, giving players new goals to work toward over the long term.

This update is, of course, another sign that Species: Unknown is still actively being developed as we continue working to make the game better in the long run. But it also makes this a great opportunity for new players to jump into the game.

We'll also be adding an exclusive in-game emblem as a thank-you to everyone who has been with us during this first year of development.

Species: Unknown celebrates its first year in early access

This update also arrives at a very special time for us: Species: Unknown has just celebrated its first anniversary in Early Access.

When we launched the game a year ago, we obviously had no idea how far this adventure would take us. Since then, hundreds of thousands of you have boarded the HSS Hawking, played with your friends, sent us feedback, created videos, streamed the game, written reviews, or simply followed its development.

For a team of our size, seeing Species: Unknown continue to thrive one year after launch is still an incredible experience. Here are a few stats from this first year:

See you on October 29

If you haven't played Species: Unknown in a while, October 29 will probably be the best time to come back. There will be a new environment to explore, new objectives to pursue, and a whole new progression to build.

And if you have friends who have been watching Species: Unknown from the sidelines for the past few months, this is also a great time to bring them along. In fact, it's probably the best time yet, as the game has never had this much content while still being available at its reduced Early Access price. Species: Unknown has always been designed as an experience to share, and this update will be a great starting point for new players.

We also know that many of you create content around the game. Streams, videos, shorts, and all kinds of other creations have played a huge part in helping people discover Species: Unknown since its release, while also making us laugh a lot and making us incredibly proud! If you've already created content around the game, or if you've been waiting for the right opportunity to do so, mark October 29 on your calendar too. We can't wait to see your first reactions to HGC Stormrock.

See you soon on HGC Stormrock

We still have a few days of work ahead of us before we can open the doors to HGC Stormrock. We're a small team, and we've been working on this update for several months, so finally getting it into your hands is a particularly important moment for us.

Get your team ready, invite the friends who have been waiting for the right moment to join the Species: Unknown adventure, and give your audience something new to discover: see you on October 29.

The Species: Unknown Team WanadevStudio

Some pictures of the team below

Nola, Production Director

Guilhem

Lohan & Barthelemy

Lohan & Jeremy

François

Nicolas