Editing Star Control (section)

==Sequels and open-source remake==
===''Star Control II''===
{{main|Star Control II}}
''Star Control II'' is an [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]] [[science fiction]] game, set in an [[open world]].<ref name="bestclassic2">{{Cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Kirk|date=September 19, 2013|title=The Game That "Won" Our Classic PC Games List (If It Had A Winner)|language=en-US|work=Kotaku|url=http://kotaku.com/the-game-that-won-our-classic-pc-games-list-if-it-ha-1349952997|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref> The game was originally published by [[Accolade, Inc.|Accolade]] in 1992 for [[MS-DOS]], and was later ported to the [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]] with enhanced multimedia elements.<ref name="HG101series23">{{cite web|author=Kalata|first=Kurt|date=September 11, 2018|title=Star Control II|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/star-control-ii/|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101}}</ref> Created by Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III, it vastly expands on the story and characters introduced in the first game.<ref name=":7" /> When the player discovers that Earth has been encased in a slave shield, they must recruit allies to liberate the galaxy.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cobbett|first=Richard|date=September 10, 2015|title=Have You Played... Star Control 2?|language=en|work=Rock Paper Shotgun|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-star-control-2|access-date=May 18, 2021}}</ref> The game features ship-to-ship combat based on the original ''Star Control'', but removes the first game's strategy elements to focus on story and dialog.<ref name="HG101series23" /> ''Star Control II'' has earned critical acclaim<ref name="IGNfranchises">{{Citation|last=IGN PC Team|title=The Wednesday 10: Franchises We Want Resurrected|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/12/04/the-wednesday-10-franchises-we-want-resurrected|date=December 3, 2008|publisher=IGN|language=en|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> and is considered [[List of video games considered the best|one of the best games of all time]] through the 1990s,<ref name=":3">{{plainlist|* {{Cite magazine|date=August 1994|title=PC Gamer Top 40: The Best Games of All Time|pages=32–42|magazine=[[PC Gamer|PC Gamer US]] |issue=3}}
* {{Cite magazine|date=April 1994|title=The PC Gamer Top 50 PC Games of All Time|magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |issue=5|pages=43–56}}
* {{cite magazine|date=November 1996|title=150 Best Games of All Time|pages=64–80|magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148|access-date=March 25, 2016}}
* {{Cite magazine|date=February 1999|title=The Fifty Best Games of All Time|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=50}}}}</ref> 2000s,<ref name=":4">{{plainlist|* {{cite web|first=Chris "shaithis" |last=Buecheler|date=September 2000|title=The Gamespy Hall of Fame – Star Control 2|url=http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/sc2_a.shtm|access-date=August 6, 2020|work=[[GameSpy]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010430133458/http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/sc2_a.shtm|archive-date=April 30, 2001|ref=none}}
* {{cite web|first=Greg|last=Kasavin|date=June 27, 2003|title=The Greatest Games of All Time – Star Control 2|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-7.html|access-date=August 6, 2020|work=[[GameSpot]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050814235252/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-7.html|archive-date=August 14, 2005|ref=none}}
* {{Cite web|date=November 23, 2005|title=IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time (2003)|url=http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html|access-date=August 6, 2020|work=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123024006/http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html|archive-date=November 23, 2005}}
* {{Cite web|date=August 2, 2005|title=IGN's Top 100 Games (2005)|url=http://top100.ign.com/2005/011-020.html|access-date=August 6, 2020|work=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050802002523/http://top100.ign.com/2005/011-020.html|archive-date=August 2, 2005}}}}</ref> and 2010s.<ref name=":5">{{plainlist|* {{Cite news|date=February 19, 2011|title=The 100 best PC games of all time|language=en|work=[[PC Gamer]]|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-100-best-pc-games-of-all-time/5/|url-status=live|access-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219013135/http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/02/16/the-100-best-pc-games-of-all-time/5|archive-date=February 19, 2011}}
* {{cite web|date=December 5, 2015|title=HG101 Presents: The 200 Best Video Games of All Time|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/|access-date=August 6, 2020|work=Hardcore Gaming 101|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029065018/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/|archive-date=October 29, 2017}}
* {{Cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Kirk|date=September 19, 2013|title=The Game That 'Won' Our Classic PC Games List (If It Had A Winner)|work=[[Kotaku]]|url=http://kotaku.com/the-game-that-won-our-classic-pc-games-list-if-it-ha-1349952997|access-date=August 6, 2020|ref=none}}}}</ref> It is also ranked among the best games in several creative areas, including writing,<ref>{{plainlist|* {{cite web|date=March 2, 2000|title=GameSpot's Best 10 Endings|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_bestending/page8.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050219174742/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_bestending/page8.html|archive-date=February 19, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
* {{cite web|date=March 1, 2000|title=GameSpot's Ten Best Endings: RC|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_endings/5.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301230429/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_endings/5.html|archive-date=March 1, 2000|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}}}</ref> world design,<ref>{{plainlist|* {{cite web|title=8 Games That Capture the Infinite Potential of Space|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/8-games-that-capture-the-infinite-potential-of-space/|author=Patrick Lindsey|date=January 7, 2015|publisher=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste magazine]]}}
* {{cite web|date=October 18, 2000|title=GameSpot's Top 10 Gameworlds|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_worlds/p2_01.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050228215510/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_worlds/p2_01.html|archive-date=February 28, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
* {{cite web|author=Jeff Drake|date=November 10, 2019|title=The 10 Biggest Open World Games|url=https://gamerant.com/open-world-games-biggest-maps/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=Game Rant}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.redbull.com/ca-en/10-classic-game-worlds|title=10 classic game worlds we'd love to revisit|author=Stuart Houghton|date=May 2, 2017|access-date=May 17, 2021|publisher=[[Red Bull]]}}}}</ref> character design,<ref>{{plainlist|* {{cite web|date=October 13, 1999|title=The Ten Best Computer Game Villains - The Ur Quan|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page11.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020823223224/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page11.html|archive-date=August 23, 2002|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
* {{cite web|date=October 12, 1999|title=Reader's Choice: Best Villains - Villains 5-1|url=https://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains_rc/page8.html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012071819/https://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains_rc/page8.html/|archive-date=October 12, 1999|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}}}</ref> and music.<ref>{{plainlist|* {{cite web|author=Brad Stabler |author2=John Twells |author3=Miles Bowe |author4=Scott Wilson |author5=Tom Lea |date=April 18, 2015|title=The 100 best video game soundtracks of all time|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/04/28/the-100-greatest-video-game-soundtracks-best-ost/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=[[Fact (UK magazine)|FACT]]}}
* {{cite web|date=October 13, 1999|title=The Ten Best Game Soundtracks|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_music/page9.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030406171219/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_music/page9.html|archive-date=April 6, 2003|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}
* {{cite web|date=September 1, 1999|title=The Ten Best Game Soundtracks: RC|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_soundtrack/page7.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012094815/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_soundtrack/page7.html|archive-date=October 12, 1999|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=GameSpot}}}}</ref>

===''Star Control 3''===
{{main|Star Control 3}}
''Star Control 3'' is an [[Adventure game|adventure]] [[science fiction]] [[video game]] developed by [[Legend Entertainment]], and published by Accolade in 1996.<ref name=":03">{{cite web <!--|author = Staff-->|date=September 15, 2011|title=New Release: Star Control 3|url=https://www.gog.com/news/new_release_star_control_3|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123180537/https://www.gog.com/news/new_release_star_control_3|archive-date=November 23, 2012|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[GOG.com]]}}</ref><ref name="HG101series3">{{cite web|author=Kalata|first=Kurt|date=September 11, 2018|title=Star Control 3|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/star-control-3/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223201938/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/star-control-3/|archive-date=February 23, 2020|access-date=April 30, 2020|website=Hardcore Gaming 101}}</ref> The story takes place after the events of ''[[Star Control II]]'' when the player must travel deeper into the galaxy to investigate the mysterious collapse of hyperspace.<ref name="HG101series3"/> Several game systems from ''Star Control II'' are changed.<ref name=":03" /> Hyperspace navigation is replaced with instant fast travel, and planet landing is replaced with a colony system inspired by the original ''Star Control''.<ref name="HG101series3"/> Accolade hired Legend Entertainment to develop the game after original creators [[Paul Reiche III]] and [[Fred Ford (programmer)|Fred Ford]] decided to pursue other projects.<ref name="Barton20162">{{cite book|author=Barton|first=Matt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UV7OBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA203|title=Honoring the Code: Conversations with Great Game Designers|date=April 19, 2016|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4665-6754-2|page=214|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> Though the game was considered a critical and commercial success upon release, it would receive unfavourable comparisons to ''Star Control II,'' with some fans regarding it as [[Canonical|non-canonical]]''.<ref name="HG101series3"/><ref name=":12">{{cite web|date=September 14, 2011|title=Star Control III<!-- | author = Staff -->|url=https://www.gog.com/game/star_control_iii|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627051632/https://www.gog.com/game/star_control_iii|archive-date=June 27, 2020|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[GOG.com]]}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{Cite book |last=Szczepaniak |first=John |title=Control & Conquer (Part 2) |publisher=Retro Gamer Volume 2 Issue 3 |year=2005 |pages=58–64 }}</ref>''

===Cancelled ''Star Control 4''===
In January 1998, Accolade announced that they were developing ''Star Control 4''.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":0" /> Also known as ''StarCon'', it was designed as a 3D space combat game.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=StarCon |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=105 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |date=April 1998|page=64}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/playstationpro24/page/n9/mode/2up|title=Pro News - Star People|date=September 1998|publisher=Playstation Pro Issue 24|page=11|language=en|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> By this time, Electronic Arts had agreed to become the distributor for all games developed by Accolade.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 24, 1996|title=Electronic Arts signs Accolade|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/1997/03/24/daily2.html|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=Silicon Valley Business Journal}}</ref> Accolade producer George MacDonald announced that "we want to move away from the adventure element and concentrate on what it seems the players really want – action!"<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=StarCon|date=January 1998|publisher=PC Gamer - Volume 5 Issue 1|page=46}}</ref> Though heavier on combat than previous titles, players would still have the opportunity to fly to planets and communicate with different aliens.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/PSM-005|title=StarCon (Preview)|date=August 1998|publisher=PSM (PlayStation Magazine) 005|location=Italy|page=47|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> The team also created a Star Control History Compendium, to help them resolve storylines from the previous games.<ref name=":0" /> In a playable [[Software release life cycle|alpha]] version of the game, players could control a fleet carrier, with the ability to launch a fighter that could be controlled by either the same player or a second player.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 5, 1998|title=Next-Generation Online: StarCon Preview|url=http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/previews/4014_1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981203085556/http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/previews/4014_1.html|archive-date=December 3, 1998|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=Next-Generation Online}}</ref> The game was later announced for the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] home console with plans for release in 1999, featuring a 40-hour variable storyline, and both competitive and co-operative multiplayer.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/play-039|title=Star Control 4|date=October 1998|publisher=PLAY Issue 039|page=81|language=en|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> Electronic Arts and Accolade promoted the choice of playing as "one of two alliances (Hyperium or Crux)", with the option of operating a fighter, carrier, or turrets.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/playstation-pro-26|title=Pro-Prospects - StarCon|date=November 1998|publisher=Playstation Pro Issue 26|page=82|language=en|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> Another publication described the ability to select from three different alien factions, with different missions that impact the storyline, and the ability to destroy entire planets.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/playstation-plus-37|title=Star Control 4 (Preview)|date=October 1998|publisher=Playstation Plus Issue 37|page=37|language=en|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref>

Development on the game was halted at the end of 1998. Not satisfied with the game's progress, Accolade put the project on hold with intentions to re-evaluate their plans for the ''Star Control'' license.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/psextreme-issue-37|title=PlayStation Gaming News - StarCon Heads Back to the Drawing Board|date=December 1998|publisher=PSExtreme Issue 37|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=IGN Staff|title=Accolade's Starcon Cancelled|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/07/accolades-starcon-cancelled|date=October 6, 1998|publisher=IGN|language=en|access-date=October 20, 2020}}</ref> In 1999, Accolade was acquired by [[Atari SA|Infogrames SA]] for $50 million,<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 20, 1999|title=COMPANY NEWS; ACCOLADE IS BOUGHT BY INFOGRAMES ENTERTAINMENT (Published 1999)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/20/business/company-news-accolade-is-bought-by-infogrames-entertainment.html|access-date=October 21, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> as one of many corporate restructurings that eventually led to Infogrames merging with [[Atari]] and re-branding under a revived Atari brand.<ref name="Haywald">{{Cite web|last=Haywald|first=Justin|date=May 29, 2009|title=Atari Sheds Infogrames Branding: News from 1UP.com|url=http://www.1up.com/news/atari-sheds-infogrames-branding|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608160103/http://www.1up.com/news/atari-sheds-infogrames-branding|archive-date=June 8, 2016|access-date=October 21, 2020|website=1up}}</ref> ''Star Control 3'' became the last official installment of the series.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":12"/><ref name=":22">{{cite web|author=Booker|first=Logan|date=January 12, 2013|title=Relive The Glory Of Star Control II In Delicious High Definition With Ur-Quan Masters HD|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/01/relive-the-glory-of-star-control-ii-in-delicious-high-definition-with-ur-quan-masters-hd/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217201928/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/01/relive-the-glory-of-star-control-ii-in-delicious-high-definition-with-ur-quan-masters-hd/|archive-date=February 17, 2013|access-date=April 28, 2020|website=Kotaku AU}}</ref>

=== ''The Ur-Quan Masters'' ===
{{main|The Ur-Quan Masters}}
By the early 2000s, Accolade's copyright license for ''Star Control'' expired, triggered by a contractual clause when the games were no longer generating royalties.<ref name="youtubex2">{{cite web|author=Hutchison|first=Lee|date=July 7, 2020|editor-last=Dacanay|editor-first=Sean|editor2-last=Niehaus|editor2-first=Marcus|title=Star Control Creators Paul Reiche & Fred Ford: Extended Interview|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/07/an-extended-interview-with-star-control-creators-fred-ford-paul-reiche-iii/|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707194115/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/07/an-extended-interview-with-star-control-creators-fred-ford-paul-reiche-iii/|archive-date=July 7, 2020|archive-format=Transcript|access-date=July 7, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica|quote='''Fred Ford''': ''Star Control II'', well and ''Star Control I'' have always been near and dear to our hearts. It's the first things we worked on, the first things we poured our passion in together. We have some diehard fans as a result of those two games and we wanted to service them and lay the groundwork for a return and keep the games in the fronts of their minds as much as possible so that when we were finally able to return to it we would still have a living audience. {{break}} '''Paul Reiche''': There was a confluence of events that helped this. One was Accolade stopped selling the game and we stopped earning royalties right around your 2000 and that triggered the termination of their exclusive right to sell our game. So we got our game back. What we didn't have was the name ''Star Control''. That was a trademark that the publisher owned and we negotiated back and forth with them, but ultimately we weren't able to come to terms for the name. So we decided, well we can't use that name, let's give it a new name, so we used the ''Ur-Quan Masters'' ... So the "Ur-Quan Masters" project, the open-source release of the game we created as ''Star Control II'', that really kept our game alive in the doldrums between say 2001 or 2002 and then 2011 when our games began to be sold again through Good Old Games, known as GOG, which is an electronic distributor of classic games.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 15, 2001|title=Interview with Fred Ford|url=http://www.classicgaming.com:80/starcontrol/history/fford4.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010515133200/http://www.classicgaming.com:80/starcontrol/history/fford4.shtml|archive-date=May 15, 2001|access-date=November 29, 2020|website=classicgaming.com|quote='''Fred Ford''': [Accolade] owe us another payment for our portion of the property. They have told us they are going to default on this payment which means we are back to owning the characters and settings. They still own the trademark/name and continue to look for someone to buy it from them.}}</ref> As the games were no longer available for sale, Reiche and Ford wanted to keep their work in the public eye, to maintain an audience for a potential sequel.<ref name="youtubex" /> Reiche and Ford still owned the copyrights in ''Star Control'' and its sequel ''Star Control II'', but they could not successfully purchase the ''Star Control'' [[trademark]] from Accolade, leading them to consider a new title for a potential follow-up.''<ref name=":15" />''<ref name="pelit2">{{cite web|author=Pelit|date=March 21, 2006|title=Star Control - Kontrollin aikakirjat|url=https://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/star-controlbrkontrollin-aikakirjat/|access-date=August 6, 2020|publisher=[[Pelit]]}}</ref> This led them to remake ''Star Control II'' as ''[[The Ur-Quan Masters]]'',<ref name=":2">{{cite web|author=Trey Walker|date=2002-06-26|title=Star Control II remake in the works|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-control-ii-remake-in-the-works/1100-2872407/|work=GameSpot}}</ref> which they released in 2002 as a free download under an [[open source]] copyright license.<ref name="oreilly2005">{{cite web|last=Wen|first=Howard|date=11 August 2005|title=The Ur-Quan Masters|url=http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2005/08/11/ur-quan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316091529/http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2005/08/11/ur-quan.html|archive-date=2016-03-16|work=linuxdevcenter.com|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]]|quote=When the original developers of ''Star Control 2'' contacted the online Star Control fan community, they presented an enticing question: if they released the source to the 3DO version of ''Star Control 2'' under GPL, would anybody be interested in porting it to modern-day computers? Michael Martin, a 26-year-old Ph.D. student at Stanford University, answered the call. After removing proprietary 3DO-specific components from the code, the developers released the source for ''Star Control 2'' to the public.}}</ref> The official free release is maintained by an active fan community.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Meer|first=Alec|date=January 7, 2013|title=Ur-Quan Masters HD: A Star Control 2 Remake|language=en|work=Rock Paper Shotgun|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/ur-quan-masters-hd-a-star-control-2-remake|access-date=May 18, 2021}}</ref>

=== ''Free Stars: Children of Infinity'' ===
{{Main|Free Stars: Children of Infinity}}
On October 24, 2023, [[Pistol Shrimp Games]] developers, consisting of [[Fred Ford (programmer)|Fred Ford]], [[Paul Reiche III]], [[Ken Ford (programmer)|Ken Ford]] and [[Dan Gerstein]], announced the new name of the sequel, ''[[Free Stars: Children of Infinity]]'', and launched its corresponding [https://freestarsgame.com/ website].<ref name="blog1">{{cite web |author=Dan Gerstein |date=October 24, 2023 |title=Introducing Free Stars: Children of Infinity
 |url=https://pistolshrimpgames.com/2023/10/introducing-free-stars-children-of-infinity/}}</ref> A Kickstarter campaign was launched on April 16, 2024 to further the game development of the sequel. Within 3 hours, they met their initial $100,000 USD goal.<ref name="kickstarter1">{{cite web  |author=Dustin Bailey |date=April 16, 2024 |title=After 32 years, the 1992 open-world space game that helped inspire Mass Effect is getting a proper sequel
 |website=GamesRadar|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/after-32-years-the-1992-open-world-space-game-that-helped-inspire-mass-effect-is-getting-a-proper-sequel/}}</ref> The planned date for the release of the game is August 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=April 20, 2024 |title=The long-awaited sequel to The Ur-Quan Masters hits its crowdfunding target in less than four hours, and they're not kidding about that $4.4 million stretch goal |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-long-awaited-sequel-to-the-ur-quan-masters-hits-its-crowdfunding-target-in-less-than-four-hours-and-theyre-not-kidding-about-that-dollar44-million-stretch-goal/ |website=PC Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bathge |first=Peter |date=April 18, 2024 |title=Entwickler eines SciFi-Spiels werden mit Geld beworfen, weil der Gratis-Vorgänger so gut war |url=https://www.gamestar.de/videos/entwickler-eines-scifi-spiels-werden-mit-geld-beworfen-weil-der-gratis-vorgaenger-so-gut-war,130261.html |website=GameStar}}</ref> The fans started to call the game "the real ''Star Control 3''" due to its creation by Reiche and Ford.<ref name="kickstarter1"/>