Star Trek Online for PC and console

By Oli Welsh Published 28 July, 2008

You have the helm, Mr Cryptic.

The worst-kept secret in massively multiplayer gaming has been outed: the troubled Star Trek Online project has been saved from oblivion and is in development with City of Heroes creator Cryptic Studios.

Star Trek Online is being developed "for both PC and console formats". No word on which consoles, although we'd say Xbox 360 is more than likely since Cryptic's other project, superhero MMO Champions Online, is coming to Microsoft's machine.

Players will take the role of a starship captain for either the Federation or Klingons, and take part in both deep-space shipboard gameplay and exploration of planet surfaces, and other ships, on foot. You'll be able to outfit and customise your ship before engaging in space battles, and recruit and train a crew.

The game is set just after all existing Star Trek movies and television shows. "Immerse yourself in the future of the Star Trek universe as it moves into the 25th century: a time of shifting alliances and new discoveries," says the official website.

The first screens show highly colourful and dense space-scapes as well as planet surfaces lush with vegetation. There is also a giant mushroom forest, which seems to have become an obligatory feature of every new MMO since World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade's Zangarmarsh.

Star Trek Online was previously being made by Perpetual before that studio shut down last year, and transferred the rights to a "Bay Area developer", now known to be Crytpic.

"Star Trek has been a part of my entire life," said Cryptic's chief creative officer Jack Emmert in an open letter on the website.

"There are few other fictional backgrounds that fit the MMORPG medium so well. After all, Star Trek was never about a single character, ship or even planet; Star Trek was always about an entire universe. And MMORPGs are uniquely suited to create such a thing and allow players to explore every inch."

He also reassured fans that Cryptic sees Star Trek as being "as much about exploration as combat. As much about the variety of alien civilizations as it is about the core Vulcans, Klingons, Humans, etc."

No word on a publisher as yet, although we'd be surprised if there wasn't an unseemly scrap over this guaranteed earner of a game. Cryptic will unveil the first details and gameplay footage on Star Trek Online at the annual Star Trek convention in Las Vegas on 10th August, so check back then.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (19) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 4 years ago

    With MMOs taking years to play... the next 360 better be 100% BC ;)

    Anyway.. Cryptic guys are my MMO heroes (pun intended). Looking forward to all their new projects.

  • mcmonkeyplc #2 4 years ago

    This could be the game! The game to rule them all! Please dont let us down cryptic, make it better than halo. Make it so!

  • Eraysor #3 4 years ago

    "Mushroom forests?

    Try Morrowind, more like."

    Or Outland.

  • Buenos_Estente #4 4 years ago

    or Super Mario

  • DFawkes #5 4 years ago

    I don't want to lead a crew though! I want to be able to join a crew. Have someone as Captain, me as Con, someone else as Tactical, all working together towards a common goal. Not a universe of Captains, that doesn't appeal to me at all. Though I do tend to go for support classes (Medic in TF2, Priests in MMOs etc), and I can't see how they fit.

  • DanWhitehead #6 4 years ago

    Star Trek and the internet. This can only end well.

  • CosmicFuzz #7 4 years ago

    Oh yes. This could easily end up being my first ever MMO. And I swore I would never pay a monthly fee-based game too....

  • Svecke #8 4 years ago

    "Captain N00bsl4yer of the starship C4wkburn, reporting for duty!" ....yeah, I can just imagine it now...

  • stoopidgreg #9 4 years ago

    this could be pretty sweet. i just hope the combat is real time so i can run about shooting people in the face with my phaser. turn based combat would just ruin the sense of immersion. i'm not a huge trekkie but the idea of piloting a ship round the universe visiting mushroom forests really appeals. hope they pull off a good'un.

  • Gurgeh #10 4 years ago

    Classic post from the Fires of Heaven messageboard on STO:

    "It'll never work anyway. People like me would ruin it with too much roleplay.

    Cpt James T Jait logs in
    Jait says: Tuck in that shirt Mister!
    Lt Steele tells Cadet Skywalker: "Fuck, it's Jait again."
    Jait straightens his shirt, puts his hands on his hips, and stares out the viewport to the stars.
    Jait says: What planet is that Mister Spock? Get out your tricorder.
    Kang shouts: LFM for Romulan missions
    Steele says: Uhh, my name is Steele dude. Planet is lvl50, were only level 20 man, lets move on...
    Fxttpewxyx tells Jait: Life is short, gaming is hard. 20,000 credits for only 50 dollars at [link url=http://www.trekgold.com!]http://www.trekgold.com! [/link] Use code: 44031 for special deal!
    Jait tells Fxttpewxyx: Sulu?
    Jait turns dramatically
    Jait says: The ghost of Sulu has contacted me! Spock, prepare an away team!
    Steele says: FFS dude, it's Steele. And I'm not joining your group. I'm heading over to Klingon space to help Skywalker twink a Klingon warrior.
    Jait whips out his phaser
    Jait says: So after all this time together Spock, it's mutiny mister!
    Lt Steele has been kicked from the guild! (United Federation of Planets)
    Steele sighs
    Jait shouts: All newbies report to the transporter room. Do not forget your red-shirt."

  • Nithron #11 4 years ago

    Stoopidreg: It'll be turn based, i guarantee it. They're always turnbased. For some reason.
    Edited by 1 at 28/07/08 @ 12:20

  • Coughthulu #12 4 years ago

    "Players will take the role of a starship captain for either the Federation or Klingons"

    Today is a very good day to Level Up!

  • furrycheeky #13 4 years ago

    Its been dumbed down a lot since the original ideas, lots of playable races now down to 2, you were a crewman now a ship etc.

  • paulf #14 4 years ago

    just make sure you dont wear the red uniform !!

  • gmmonkey #15 4 years ago

    Most likely everyone will be a captain. There'll be no pvp apart from on holodecks. No interiors. Everyone will be called cpt j34n l00c p1c4rd or something to that effect. Though, the shots are looking quite nice.

  • gmmonkey #16 4 years ago

    Btw, how will you ground missions if everyone is a captain? 20 captains about to do a raid on a bird of prey? You'll have to raid 50 times before you can get your +10 to warrior battle cry disco sequined, battle sash.

  • AphoticCosmos #17 4 years ago

    Cryptic = good.

  • stoopidgreg #18 4 years ago

    "Stoopidreg: It'll be turn based, i guarantee it. They're always turnbased. For some reason. "

    someone told me when he first heard about the game a couple years ago they mentioned real time combat. we can only hope... i really just can't imagine what a phaser battle would look like if it were turn based. and anyway it's not like it's technically impossible - neocron did it years ago, as have a few others.

    i hope you can actually walk about your own ship and board other ships, that would be so fun. imagine quests/missions involving disabling a ship, boarding it and clearing out the baddies deck to deck with your buddies.

    also, there better be borg!

  • louyfitz #19 4 years ago

    I agree, if it's real time and has Borg I'm in!

    Could be a really fun game too, rather than the usual boring wizards and warlocks type of MMO.