This open-world RTS adds RPG elements inspired by Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect, and it's tripled its Kickstarter goal

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ZeroSpace developer Starlance Studios was founded by Starcraft pros

ZeroSpace
(Image credit: Starlance Studios)

There's a new real-time strategy game blowing up on Kickstarter, and while it's most obviously inspired by Starcraft, it also adds RPG elements from games like Baldur's Gate and Mass Effect.

ZeroSpace is the debut title from Starlance Studios and a collaborative effort with Ironward Team, described as a cinematic RTS with "an epic sci-fi story where your decisions determine the fate of the galaxy. No two matches play the same thanks to nearly limitless combinations of factions, mercenary units and heroes, introducing unparalleled strategic depth and player expression to the genre."

As a casual and occasionally curious observer of RTS games, the thing I'm most interested in ZeroSpace is the way it mixes in elements from classic RPGs, a genre I'm much more familiar with. Specifically, it features an "expansive lore" with deep stories as well as a story campaign with player choices that affect branching narratives.

Further drawing me into ZeroSpace is the developers' commitment to "making an RTS that any gamer can approach and enjoy thanks to clever and intuitive interface design." The studio also says hardcore RTS competitors will find plenty to dig into with "a limitless ladder of skill expression to master in PvP, a campaign mode, and a massively multiplayer co-op mode."

I'm not the only one keeping ZeroSpace firmly on my new games radar. The game's Kickstarter had an initial goal of $100,000 when it went live less than a week ago, and in just seven hours it had already blown right past that. At the time of writing, it's managed to reach $324,000 in funds from eager backers - more than triple the original goal.

There's no release date just yet, but you can Wishlist ZeroSpace on Steam right now.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.