For over thirty years, fans of the legendary Star Control II (now known as The Ur-Quan Masters) have been waiting for the original creators—Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III—to return to their flagship universe. In 2026, that wait finally ends with Free Stars: Children of Infinity.
Developed by their new studio, Pistol Shrimp, this isn’t just a sequel; it is a “spiritual homecoming” for the game that originally inspired the Mass Effect series.
The Story: Three Years After the Fall
The game picks up three years after the defeat of the Ur-Quan Hierarchy. The “New Alliance of Free Stars” is in its honeymoon phase, but peace is short-lived. A massive, unnatural breach has appeared in HyperSpace, and as the newest Captain in the Alliance, you are sent to investigate a mystery that stretches back to the vanished Precursors.
- A “Living” Galaxy: The game features hundreds of star systems and thousands of planets. Unlike the sterile procedurally generated worlds of other titles, Children of Infinity focuses on “Alien Diplomacy.” You will meet over a dozen brand-new species, each with unique musical themes, humor, and complex motives.
- Super Melee 2.0: The iconic top-down, arcade-style combat is back. You can now engage in multiplayer “Super Melee” battles with friends online, featuring over 30 wildly different starships—including the return of all your favorites from the original game.
- The “Cyborg” Option: In a brilliant accessibility move, players who prefer the story over the twitch-based combat can toggle “Cyborg Mode,” allowing a sophisticated AI to handle the ship’s weapons while you focus on the strategy and dialogue.
- Co-Op Exploration: For the first time, you can fly through the galaxy with a friend in seamless drop-in/drop-out cooperative play.
Development Milestone
The project shattered its Kickstarter goals in early 2024 (hitting its target in under four hours!) and has been in deep production throughout 2025. As of January 2026, the team has just released their “Milestone 8” update, showing off high-fidelity hyperspace visuals and the return of the fan-favorite (and incredibly strange) Orz.
