Vanished for a year, early access dev returns to announce a crisis taught them ‘videogames ain’t it’ and end development on ‘singleplayer EVE’ they’ve been making since 2019

I’ve always had a soft spot for Astrox Imperium, an early access game that first hit Steam all the way back in 2019, and that aimed to be, in the words of every other review on its page, a “singleplayer EVE Online“.

You have a ship, a universe, and all the dreams you can fill ’em with. There’s no real direction or plot, just a massive simulated space stacked with systems: an economy, factions (and faction reps), combat, ship upgrades. You know, all that stuff you get in EVE without the possibility a rival corporation might decide to literally cut the power to your real-life house for an advantage.

My kind of thing, but alas, it’s reached the end of the road. Sole developer Jace Masula returned after over a year’s absence yesterday to announce that, basically, they were done with videogames. “I’ve had a few unfortunate things happen that remind me what is really important in life,” they wrote “and video games ain’t it.”

Whatever happened, it sounds like it wasn’t pleasant. “I am very lucky to be where I am now, and walking normally,” they wrote, and announced that “My plan is to solidify what I have here into an enjoyable sandbox experience, transform the Campaign into the tutorial mode, release the game as complete… and bid farewell to you all.” Masula acknowledges that people will inevitably want more details, but declines to give them. “I will no longer be sharing like I used to, I’ve learned a hard lesson and will not repeat my mistakes.

“I don’t suspect I will be releasing any other games here on Steam. It was fun while it lasted, but the fun is over for me. I hope you all understand.”

The sudden announcement was the first update about the game since Christmas Day 2023. Indeed, prior to Masula’s sudden return, many of Astrox Imperium’s most recent Steam reviews assumed the game had been silently deserted by its only dev anyway, given that Masula had previously been active on both Steam and YouTube.

It’s sad, of course. I can’t fault Masula in the slightest: even with the scant details in their announcement, it sounds like they’ve had a hell of a year and I can understand wanting to do something different with your life. But Astrox Imperium was—and continues to be, I suppose—a cool thing that had built up quite a following in the community of systems-loving sickos like myself. It was always a thing that had big potential, and it’s a shame it’ll likely never quite live up to all of it.

The game has picked up a few negative reviews from players upset at Masula “abandoning” the game, but I gotta say the overwhelming response on the Steam forums (of all places) has been sympathy and well-wishes, with most players happy they’ve pulled through whatever it was they’ve been through and thankful for the game as-is.

The game is still in early access, so I have to assume another patch or two is forthcoming given Masula’s stated goal to “release the game as complete.” I’m curious what happens after, so I’ve reached out to Masula to ask if there’s any possibility they’ll leave Astrox Imperium in the hands of another dev, or pass the torch to the community itself, and I’ll update if I hear back.