Award-Winning Indie Game Announces a Surprise Physical Release

Award-winning indie game Sea of Stars is set to expand its reach with a physical release in spring 2024. The surprise announcement of its boxed edition arrived some five months after Sea of Stars debuted to critical acclaim.

Developed by the Canadian-based Sabotage Studio, Sea of Stars is the company's second-ever title, following the 2018 action platformer The Messenger. The genre shift from action platforming to turn-based RPGs passed without a hitch, as underlined by the fact that Sea of Stars ended up winning the Best Indie Game title at both The Game Awards 2023 and the latest iteration of the Golden Joystick Awards.

Following up on that success, Sabotage has just announced plans for a boxed version of Sea of Stars. The game's physical release will be managed by iam8bit, a California-based company with a long track record of indie publishing. The retail edition of Sea of Stars will be available for the Nintendo Switch, as well as the latest two generations of Sony and Microsoft consoles. Fans can expect to see it hit the store shelves starting May 10. Meanwhile, an iam8bit Exclusive Edition of the game that's coming in Q2 2024 is currently available for pre-orders on the publisher's website.

The special edition of the game is priced at $44.99, a $10 premium compared to the digital version of the award-winning indie RPG. In order to make that price difference more palatable, iam8bit is bundling the game with several goodies, including a poster featuring the game's map and some additional artwork. Four sticker sheets are also part of the package, as is a collectible slipcase paired with a retro-style game manual. Anyone who pre-orders the retail version of Sea of Stars will be treated to a downloadable code for the game's soundtrack, available for immediate redemption. That's not an insignificant bonus, as the RPG's OST currently retails at $9.99 on Steam.

Aside from being a treat for collectors, this upcoming physical release will present another opportunity for