Publisher Fellow Traveller and developer Jump Over The Age have announced that Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector will launch in early 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam). The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass.
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A new gameplay trailer and a publisher interview with creator Gareth Damian Martin can be found below, via Fellow Traveller.
We’re also thrilled to reveal that Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector will be releasing early 2025 - and, in addition to PC, Xbox and Game Pass, the game will also be coming to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5!
To celebrate the occasion, we sat down with Citizen Sleeper creator and developer Gareth Damian Martin to talk about the sequel.
Fellow Traveller (FT): How closely is Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector related to the original game? Can anyone jump into this game without playing the first one?
Gareth Damian Martin (GDM): Yes they can! Citizen Sleeper 2 is set in the same star system as Citizen Sleeper, the Helion system, but years after and in a new part of that system, the Starward Belt. It also features a new dice system, skill system, and a ship, making it pretty distinct from the first game. Players can definitely jump into Citizen Sleeper 2 fresh, with no experience of the world, and enjoy the unique gameplay and the universe. But returning players will also get a deeper view of the system they know and will enjoy running into returning characters as they play the game. The fun thing is that the games can intentionally be played in any order, so if players enjoy Citizen Sleeper 2 they could treat Citizen Sleeper as a prequel that gives them an extra insight into the characters and the world.
FT: Can you tell us a little about the Starward Belt? How does it differ from the setting in the first game?
GDM: While Citizen Sleeper took place entirely on a single station, The Eye, Citizen Sleeper 2 takes place among the many stations of the Starward Belt. An asteroid belt that rings the Helion system, the Starward Belt is home to many disparate communities of all kinds of sizes, from small asteroid bases, to a city built on the back of a vast solar reflector. This means the player will encounter a much bigger variety of locations, different organisations and factions and travel between them freely. It’s a significant change in pace, and makes for a larger, more varied experience.
FT: What made you think of introducing the ship as a home base - and how does it come into play in the game?
GDM: Citizen Sleeper 2 takes inspiration from the likes of Cowboy Bebop, Farscape and Firefly: stories about rough-and-ready crews of ramshackle ships, trying to make ends meet in an unforgiving universe. I love these stories, but I feel like games never quite get the atmosphere or structure right, so I wanted to take my own shot at making one. Having a ship is essential to these narratives, and I wanted to make sure your Rig in Citizen Sleeper 2 played that important role well. So you’ll be able to rest, cook and relax in the ship, as well as upgrade and improve it, even choose a paint job. It’s the players home in the game so it needs to feel lived-in and comforting.
FT: Glitches and malfunctions are an interesting new addition to the game. Can you tell us a little more about how you came up with the idea and how they’ll affect gameplay?
GDM: In Citizen Sleeper 2 the Sleeper’s body is undergoing a transformation, they’ve rebooted themselves to break their dependence on stabilizer and some other stranger things are happening too. I wanted to reflect this mechanically as well as narratively, so as events affect the Sleeper’s delicate system, such as repairs or being hacked, their dice will suffer glitches. Meanwhile when players take on a large amount of stress they will be at a higher risk of rolling a malfunction and taking damage. Both of these combine to create a more unpredictable set of challenges than in the first game.
FT: Contracts are also a major new addition. Can you tell us a little bit about these?
GDM: A core part of the classic sci-fi ship and crew fantasy is taking on contracts for different factions and characters, and struggling to make them turn out well. I wanted this to be a big part of Citizen Sleeper 2 and it also offers the opportunity to create high-intensity sections of gameplay that require tactical thinking, careful resource management and improvisation. Contracts will require you to prepare by buying food and supplies, heading out on the job, and executing difficult tasks like salvaging a collapsing freighter or extracting a key resource. They’ll test your ability to effectively use your own dice and your crew's dice, as well as managing your stress.
FT: What does having crew members add to Citizen Sleeper 2?
GDM: The crew in Citizen Sleeper 2 allows me to tell deeper, more reactive stories about certain characters, where rather than just nudging them along their own path, you travel together through the world and get involved in each other's stories. From the small interactions that happen on contracts to the bigger difficulties you’ll face together, the crew element develops the very human aspects of Citizen Sleeper in new and exciting ways and allows the player to decide who they put their trust in.
FT: We’re not asking for spoilers, but we are keen to know - what are you most excited about for fans to experience in Citizen Sleeper 2?
GDM: I’m most excited for players to discover the game’s contracts, and how they combine tactical gameplay, reactive narrative and the fun of choosing your own crew into a set of juicy and exciting episodes!
