Sid Meier's Starships prepares for March lift off

Sid Meier's Starships will release on March 12 for PC and iPad, studio Firaxis has announced. It'll set you back $15 in the US, with prices in other regions yet to be confirmed. Recent gameplay footage shows a relatively breezy affair compared to Civilization: Beyond Earth – which it shares a universe with – because you'll be looking after a fleet of spacecraft rather than an entire way of life.

Relatedly, a recent software update for Beyond Earth introduced connectivity between the games, though specifics on how this will work have not been detailed.

In case you missed it before, this recent discussion between Sid Meier and Xcom: Enemy Unknown's Jake Solomon is well worth the time if you're curious about the future of strategy games.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.