Developed and published by Sabotage Studio, Sea of Stars is a retro-style RPG that was released on August 29, 2023. While it was nominated for the Best Role Playing Game in The Game Awards 2023, it won in another category of Best Independent Game. This win seems to have given the game a boost because it now has reached a whopping 4 million+ players across all platforms, as of December 18.
Here’s the announcement tweet:
“Sea of Stars has been played by over 4 million people across all platforms and subscription catalogs in less than 4 months.”
Phil Spencer (CEO of Microsoft Gaming) and Geoff Keighley (Producer and Host of The Game Awards & Summer Game Fest) have congratulated Sea of Stars on Twitter.
Phil wrote, “Congrats to the team on the success. I’ve really enjoyed my time with Sea of Stars” and Geoff sent in a “Congrats!!” to appreciate the team.
This is a remarkable achievement for an indie game, especially because this milestone has been unlocked in under 4 months. Plus, this is only the second game from Sabotage Studio.
2023 was a stellar year in gaming and Sea of Stars held its own among juggernauts like Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and more big names. This speaks volumes about how a game, no matter how indie, can capture the attention of players all over the world with its quality.
More Accolades for Sea of Stars
These aren’t the only achievements this game has earned – Sea of Stars sold 100,000 copies in 24 hours and more than 250,000 in its first week, which are some amazing numbers. The accolades don’t stop there – it also won in the Best Indie Game category at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023. It has been recognized by the British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) as one of the best games from 2023.
In a tweet, @seaofstarsgame writes, “We had projections for the first year, but it only took you all a single week.”
The game has also garnered critical acclaim, with ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam and a Metascore of 87. Reviews compliment its storytelling, exploration, modernization of the turn-based combat style, and of course, its pixel art graphics.
Developers React to This Milestone
Here’s what the developers have to say about this achievement (shared via a press release).
“Sea of Stars is the game of my dreams, and seeing its quest resonate so strongly with players and critics means the world to everyone at Sabotage,” said Thierry Boulanger, co-founder of Sabotage Studio and game director on Sea of Stars.
“The team behind this game is the most talented and dedicated group I could have ever hoped to create Sea of Stars with, and I’m again reminded of their brilliance as we progress with creating Sea of Stars’ upcoming DLC, Throes of the Watchmaker. For fans to have recognized our adventure in such an incredibly prosperous year for RPGs alongside new arrivals from the genre’s biggest franchises … we simply just cannot thank you enough for supporting us, and we can’t wait to show you what’s next for Sea of Stars.”
Sea of Stars is available across PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One for $34.99. It’s also free to subscribers to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, as well as PlayStation Plus’ Extra and Premium membership tiers.