Fractured Space goes free-to-play today [updated]

Update: Edge Case CEO James Brooksby has responded to the community's displeasure at some of Fractured Space's recent updates with the following statement. 

"The new Crew Collection System has been rolled out in a way that we are not proud of, and you guys have reacted to in a very understandable way. We have always worked closely with you, the community and listened along our journey through Early Access. And we are listening now.

We will now do what we should have done in the first place and ensure you have the crew you already played so hard to get. To ensure we don’t miss anything, the best way is to give everyone who has played Fractured Space before the last update all the available crew that were attainable then. 

Also as some of you will have spent Platinum and Credits on Drop Ships, we will reimburse any currency spent up until this announcement. 

As with all new features we’re rolled out over the past 18 months, the crew collection system will improve, and soon as well. The team have many plans to make it fun and rewarding, and of course the team are working hard on many of the other great features of the game that we know you want such as Ranked Play, Replays, Spectator Cam and much much more… 

Our sincere apologies—do stick with us—and I will see you on battlefield."

Original story: Fractured Space is a 5v5 team shooter in which every player plays as a capital ship delivering broadsides in the depths of space. Today's update means it's now free to play in Early Access on Steam.

The update adds new sector maps, ships, crew members and missions, as well as a firing range where players can test ships and loadouts. “Fractured Space is fundamentally team-based and we believe the new update will add a strong competitive element to our universe and increase accessibility to new players” says Edge Case CEO James Brooksby in the release accompanying the update.

Recent updates don't seem to have gone down well with the community, however. Recent Steam reviews have turned against changes to the progression system, particularly the ones associated with the use of in-game currency to unlocking crew members.

“We listen to our community and get their feedback, and this continues to help us shape the game as we move closer to full launch” Brooksby adds. We'll have to wait and see if Fractured Space's free-to-play incarnation delivers good value in the coming weeks. You can find out more about the game on the official site.

Tom Senior

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.