Egosoft

Egosoft GmbH

Type	GmbH
Industry	Video game industry
Founded	1988
Headquarters	Würselen, Aachen, Germany
Key people	Bernd Lehahn (managing director)
Products	Video games
Number of employees	~20
Website	Egosoft.com

Egosoft GmbH is a video game developer founded in 1988 and based in Würselen, Aachen, Germany. It became a commercial company in 1990. Its first products were for the Amiga, but it later became a PC game developer.^[1]

Egosoft is best known for its X game series,^[2] a series of space simulator games noted for combining open-ended gameplay, dynamic market-driven economy and compelling storyline.^[3][4] The series began in 1999 with X: Beyond the Frontier. Since then, the series has expanded with two sequels and three standalone expansions; the latest being X Rebirth in 2013.

Releases

Egosoft has released the following products:

• Hotel Detective (1988) for the Amiga, published by Euroline software.
• Fatal Heritage (1990) for the Amiga, published by FunSoft and Softgold.
• UGH (1992) for the Amiga, Published by Playbyte and Bluebyte.
• Flies Attack on Earth (1993) for Amiga and PC (MS-DOS).
• Imperium Romanum (1996) for MS-DOS.
• X Series
  • X: Beyond the Frontier (1999) for Windows.
    • X-Tension (2000) for Windows - X: Beyond the Frontier expansion pack.
  • X2: The Threat (2003) for Windows and Linux (2006).
  • X3: Reunion (2005) for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux (2008).
    • X3: Terran Conflict (2008)
    • X3: Albion Prelude (2011)
  • X Rebirth (2013) for Windows (Mac OS X and Linux were not yet released but announced without an ETA)

The Linux version of X2 Series was developed by Linux Game Publishing. Mac OS X versions were developed by Virtual Programming. Ltd. Linux and Mac OS X versions of X3 were developed by Egosoft themselves, as is planned for Rebirth.

Several of the X series have been released multiple times in special bundle packs or when a major update to the game was released. Notable releases include:

• X-Gold (2000), which features X: Beyond the Frontier and X-Tension
• X3-Gold (2009), which features X3: Reunion 2.5 and X3: Terran Conflict 2.0
• X-Superbox (2010), first featuring all 5 X-Series games, and also featuring Albion prelude for free download on Steam when registered.
• The Humble Weekly Bundle (2013), featuring Steam keys for all existing X-Series games for all platforms plus the soundtracks and bonus content.

Future releases

In 2000, Egosoft planned a multiplayer online game called Online Universe or X Online. This project was intended to be "the next step in the evolution of Egosoft's X universe."^[5] Egosoft has since released a number of games, yet has given little indication of the progress of this project. In 2003 Egosoft staff were working on a later version - codenamed X2OL - which Egosoft Director Bernd Lehahn described as "our long-term goal."^[6][7] There is still no official information on the Online Universe, though there has been speculation that X2 and X3's 2007 uplink feature may be a positive spin-off of the project.^[8]

In Q4 of 2009 Egosoft announced that Terran Conflict completed the story started in X: Beyond the Frontier, taken by some to mean the end of the franchise. However, in March 2011 they announced on their X-Universe forums that they would be attending FedCon XX in Düsseldorf on 28 April 2011, and would show preview footage of their current project,^[9] previously only referred to by the codename TNBT (The Next Big Thing). However, on 20 April 2011, they released a trailer officially announcing X Rebirth, initially slated for a Q4 2011 release. X Rebirth will take place in the X Universe after a major catastrophe (the shutdown of the series' network of, thus starting a new chapter in the X Universe separate from the original plot line. Rebirth missed its first two proposed release dates (Q4 2011 and 2012) and was eventually released 15 November 2013.^[10]

On 7 December 2011, they announced X3: Albion Prelude and revealed a trailer, after stating on the previous day that "There will be something you might not have seen coming. More info soon ;)". Albion Prelude was released on 15 December, only a week after the announcement. It bridged the plot gap between the older X games and the upcoming Rebirth, featuring a storyline only hinted at in the X Encyclopedia. Albion Prelude was scheduled for boxed release at some point early in 2012, and will be available free on Steam for those who register the X Superbox, or purchasable including paired with X3: Terran Conflict.

DevNet

Egosoft runs a Developer Network - DevNet - which members may be able to join. It provides an opportunity to test new software and create the scripts for it. Submitting personal information to Egosoft is enough for mere testing, however, access to pages of the higher level requires signing a non-disclosure agreement.

External links

• Official Website of Egosoft

References

1. Michael Madden (26 August 2006). "Egosoft FAQ". Egosoft X-News. Egosoft. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
2. Josh Venning (25 January 2006). "X3 Reunion: New Rolling Demo Tested". AnandTech. AnandTech. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
3. Wrentmore, John (12 December 2003). "X2 - The Threat Review". GameZone (GameZone Online). Retrieved 11 February 2008.
4. Reed, Kristan (6 November 2005). "X3: Reunion". EuroGamer (Eurogamer Network Ltd). Retrieved 11 February 2008.
5. "ONLINE-UNIVERSE". Online Universe (Official Page). Retrieved 11 February 2008.
6. Stokky (10 May 2003). "Interview: X2 - The Threat". playfuls.com. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
7. Presley, Paul (19 April 2003). "PC Preview: X2: The Threat". PC Zone (Future Publishing Limited.). Retrieved 11 February 2008.
8. Caesar S. (3 January 2008). "Egosoft updates X3: Reunion, X2: The Threat". QJ.net (Content Holdings, LLC.). Retrieved 11 February 2008.
9. "TNBT will soon be officially unveiled!!".
10. BurnIt!. "X Rebirth - The wait is almost over!". Egosoft.com forums. Egosoft GmbH. Retrieved 9 August 2013.