World Of Tanks Developer Is Rebooting Master Of Orion

Wargaming is taking a small break from producing free-to-play games about tanks and planes and is instead shooting for the stars with its next outing, rebooting the legendary Master of Orion strategy game series for a new generation of 4X fans.

If that term “4X” is throwing you for a loop, chances are pretty good that you’re familiar with the genre without even knowing it. The abbreviation stands for “Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate,” which serve as the driving force behind games like the popular Civilization game series. Your job is to slowly build an empire and then expand, whether through trade, alliances or warfare.

Master of Orion was one of the original game to popularize the genre, originally hitting PC and Mac in 1993. In the original game, you had the ability to pick one of nearly a dozen races, then build your galactic foothold through whatever means you saw fit. Instead of battling over water routes and corn fields, though, you fought for sections of the galaxy and the resources its planets provided.

The original Master of Orion earned two sequels before fading into the background, but now the team at Wargaming is aiming to bring the series back into the limelight.

Announced over on the Wargaming blog, a new iteration of Master of Orion aims to mix all of the best aspects of previous games in the series with all sorts of new gameplay mechanics and spiffy graphics.

“This reimagining is set to enhance the title’s iconic 4x gameplay of explore, expand, exploit and exterminate for new and old fans alike,” reads the announcement. “Players can expect a deeply strategic experience where they must utilize brute force, diplomacy, exploration and much more in their bid for victory.”

Being built from the ground up for currently unknown platforms (though probably sticking to machines tethered to a mouse and keyboard), this new version of Master of Orion will feature more races than ever before, each driven by their own “quirks and ambitions,” explains the announcement. You can, of course, play the game however you see fit, but you’ll likely do much better if you choose a race that falls more closely in line with your own motivations for conquest.

Players can also expect a revamped interface and an orchestral soundtrack being put together by the series’ original composer. There will also be voice overs to help guide you through the galaxy, as well as tutorials to help you get your ships in the air.

No word yet on a release date or whether or not Orion will boast the same free-to-play model as Wargaming’s other popular titles like World of Tanks, World of Warships and World of Warplanes. With E3 2015 just around the corner and Wargaming set to be at the show, however, we’re likely to have some new details to share in the very near future.