Yo, gamers! Today at the IGN Live showcase, Polaris Team—an offshoot of the award-winning devs at Variable State—dropped a bombshell. They unveiled the debut trailer for their upcoming sci-fi co-op shooter, Polaris. This ain’t just any shooter; we’re talking high-flying, 4-player action, PvE madness, and environments that you can literally blow to bits.
Dive into the Chaos
Set in a space region overtaken by a ruthless force called the Regime, Polaris throws players into the role of superpowered freedom fighters. Your mission? Reclaim your homeworlds and obliterate enemy strongholds. The game features meticulously detailed, destructible environments—think entire cityscapes, wild forests, and even the planet’s terrain can be reduced to rubble in the heat of battle.
Team Up and Take Down
Form a squad with your buddies and get ready for some guerrilla warfare. Fly through dynamic open levels, destroy enemy infrastructure, and unearth the mysteries fueling the Regime’s conquest. With battles set in a PvE format, you’re looking at a game where teamwork and strategy are key to victory.
Beta Playtest and Launch
Polaris is set to launch on Steam in 2024, but you won’t have to wait that long to get a taste. A beta playtest is coming soon, and you can sign up through the game’s official newsletter. Get ready to dive into the action early and help shape the game’s future.
Behind the Scenes
Polaris Team’s Creative Director, Jonathan Burroughs, shared some insights into the game’s inspiration:
Since I first played Bullfrog’s Syndicate Wars, I’ve always dreamed of working on a game with hi-tech squads of futuristic soldiers causing mayhem in a unique sci-fi setting. Add a deep love for the Halo series—especially its blend of on-foot and in-vehicle co-op action—and you get a sense of what we’re aiming for with Polaris.
With a scrappy team of just 11 people, Polaris Team has been working on this project since early 2023. Utilizing Unreal Engine 5, they’ve crafted a tight 4-player PvE combat game with destructible environments in a fresh sci-fi universe.
From Virginia to Polaris
Variable State is known for titles like the BAFTA-winning Virginia, but Polaris marks a new direction. To bring this ambitious project to life, they formed Polaris Team, featuring veterans from studios like Creative Assembly, Splash Damage, Ninja Theory, Rebellion, and Cloud Imperium. Their collective experience has led to a game focused on refined combat mechanics, team-oriented gameplay, and destructible settings.
Destruction at Your Fingertips
In Polaris, no structure is safe. Regime-built structures, untouched by their indoctrinated citizens, can be crushed, blown apart, and annihilated. The natural environments and terrain are just as destructible, offering a reactive and ever-evolving battlefield. Whether you’re toppling buildings or creating craters, the world of Polaris is designed to be your playground of destruction.
So, gear up, gather your squad, and get ready for the high-flying, destructive action of Polaris. This game promises to deliver an explosive experience when it drops in 2024. Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t miss your chance to join the beta playtest!
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
