Stellaris is an evolution of the grand strategy genre with space exploration at its core. It features deep gameplay, a rich and diverse selection of aliens, and emergent storytelling. According to publisher Paradox Interactive, Stellaris contains engaging moments that reward interstellar exploration as you traverse, discover, interact, and learn more about the species you encounter during your travels. There are a lot of mechanics to master here, so be prepared for a somewhat steep learning curve when you first dive in. It takes some time to get familiar with the gameplay, but it's quite satisfying once you do.
The game has received exemplary post-launch support from its developer for many months now, and the content drops aren't about to stop anytime soon. Recently, the team announced the "MegaCorp" expansion. The publisher says that "MegaCorp introduces a revolutionary new way to conduct business on a galactic scale though new markets and city planets with state-of-the-art citizen solutions and more marketable human capital. Today, the team released a video detailing the main features in the upcoming expansion. It's expected to launch on December 6, 2018 for PC.
- Corporate Culture: Chief Executive Officers of a MegaCorp can conduct business on a galaxy-wide scale with a host of new civics. This allows you to focus on trade to an unprecedented degree.
- City World: With "Ecumenopolis," players can increase the population density of core worlds to truly epic proportions, eventually creating a planet-spanning megacity. If you've ever wanted to build a structure out of Star Wars, this will give you the chance.
- Caravaneer Fleets: Caravaneers are nomadic interstellar wheelers-and-dealers who stay aloof from galactic politics, and always have a bargain up their sleeve. These individuals are great if you're looking to quickly trade and don't want to journey back to a particular outpost.
- Megastructures: More buildings like the "Matter Decompressor," "Mega-Art Installation," and "Strategic Coordination Center" are coming. This are more variety to the experience and allow you to accomplish even more.
- Galactic Slave Market: This is quite controversial, because hopefully the future will include better rights for everyone. The name is self-explanatory to say the least. You can essentially buy labor for your galactic empire, but it doesn't mean that you should.
Hopefully all of these expansions will be available at launch when the game hits consoles in a few months. Since the game's release in May 2016, it has sold over 1.5 million copies on PC. While success on PC doesn't guarantee success on consoles, it's still a good metric to gauge interest.
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