Frontier Developments announced today that its space sim, Elite Dangerous, is receiving space legs and planets, among other features, in a brand new expansion named Odyssey. The game currently lets players land on procedurally generated planets without atmospheres to drive around in, but in the upcoming expansion, planets will be fully realized thanks to new technologies being utilized by the developer.
First-person on-foot gameplay will let players explore these planets to complete missions that have them dealing with diplomacy and commerce, as well as combat that involves stealth and more aggressive encounters. Of course, space ships and ground vehicles will be involved in these combat scenarios as well, so having some friends to help out would be a good idea.
It sounds like missions will be procedurally generated too, with Frontier saying that "diverse settings, objectives, and NPCs offer endless mission variety and a near infinite amount of content to enjoy." Aside from the open universe, there will be public social hubs that let players plan their next moves and join up with other crews. Weapon and gear upgrades will also be found at these locations to suit different playstyles.
"Odyssey is our most ambitious Elite Dangerous expansion to date," said David Braben, Frontier founder and CEO. "Extending coverage to the super-fine scale that is needed for on-foot gameplay while maintaining the vast raw distances measured in light years, is a huge achievement by the team, and greatly extends the already rich Elite Dangerous experience.
The Elite Dangerous: Odyssey expansion is currently slated to release in early 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.