“Frontier’s move to diversify its game portfolio during the last five years, including through third-party publishing and new games in ‘adjacent genres’, has not delivered the anticipated success,” said the company in its business update. “As a result, the Company has refocused on CMS games which have delivered stronger and more predictable returns through Frontier’s expertise and leadership in that genre.”

For context, management-styled games like Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo, Jurassic World Evolution, and Jurassic World Evolution 2 are what Frontier Developments considers falling under the CMS umbrella. According to the company’s development update, all four of these games were able to make a profit within a month of release, and over the next year, were able to make a 100 percent return on investment.

“All four games achieved profitability within one month of release and delivered over 100% return on investment within 12 months of release,” it said. “The three games which have been in the market for four years or longer – Planet Coaster, Jurassic World Evolution, and Planet Zoo – have all achieved a cumulative return on investment of over 250%.”

As part of its new focus on management-styled games, Frontier Developments has revealed that it plans on releasing three more games down the line over the next three financial years—one game for each financial year. Despite the performance of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin, the company plans on further support the title, as well as other games like Elite: Dangerous and the F1 Manager franchise.

The low sales of Realms of Ruin have reduced the company’s expected revenue for the current financial year. However, the company has stated that it is looking to the next financial year in order to break even in revenue thanks to continued support of its preexisting games, as well as the release of the planned CMS title.

“The Board expects Frontier to at least break even in FY25 through the ongoing performance of the existing portfolio of games, revenue contributions from future releases including the CMS game scheduled for FY25, and the 20% operating cost reductions from the Organisational Review,” it said about its plans with future management games.

For more details on Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin, check out our review. The game is out on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Update 11 is a sizeable one, bringing tons of fixes, additions, and performance optimization for the game on PC. Primarily, the main focus went on improving Fleet Carriers, which have been changed and tweaked to be enjoyed on foot, by adding new, optional areas, getting main areas such as a Command Deck, and more.

Apart from this, mission-specific fixes such as fixing a legal Collection mission, and shared missions not displaying correctly in the failed state, have also been made, along with audio, render, art, performance optimization, and UI fixes.

You can check out the complete patch notes below, or on the game’s Steam page.

ELITE DANGEROUS UPDATE 11

Fleet Carriers

Interiors have been added to Fleet Carriers to enjoy on-foot. These include:

Main Areas

• A main concourse and hangar lobby.
• A Command Deck with an additional area for the owner and their Wing.
• A seating area for safe Fleet Carrier jumps.

Optional Areas & Services

• Bar
• Vista Genomics service desk
• Pioneer Supplies store
• Shipyard access point (included with the Shipyard service)

Other Fleet Carrier Changes

• On-foot access to the shipyard is now available (added automatically if the Shipyard service is enabled).
• Service tariffs can now be set individually, allowing control of each service’s costs (Universal Cartographics and Vista Genomics do not use the tariff system).
• The Fleet Carrier Livery has been moved into the same environment as Outfitting.
• The Fleet Carrier Livery now includes a number of concourse themes.
• A small amount of random delay was added for landing pads retracting during jump prep for aesthetics.
• The Fleet Carrier section of the Pilot’s Handbook now describes new features and how to use the new bartender functionality.
• A lack of notifications for Fleet Carrier jumps until 10 seconds beforehand was fixed.

Sitting

• It is now possible to sit in all chairs and barstools found on all concourses (albeit one at a time).

Missions

• New “Protect” missions ask Commanders to defend against criminals attacking delivery routes. These missions pose a new challenge in both combat difficulty (teammates recommended) and time-response required. To account for these, factions will offer higher sums than usual.
• Fixed an issue where missions could be repeatedly abandoned to produce a strong negative influence on the faction offering.
• Fixed an issue with shared missions not displaying correctly when in a failed state.
• Changed the settlement mission givers’ compass icon to match the concourse mission giver icon to distinguish between new missions givers and existing mission targets.
• Fixed a legal Collection mission asking you to collect an illicit item. Naughty.
• Fixed some incorrect text in a Sabotage mission.

Settlements

• Added the new cargo loader used in the new Protect missions to various settlements.
• Fixed a control point being inaccessible at a specific settlement type during Conflict Zones.
• Fixed corpses clipping through the floor.
• Added and adjusted ammo crate positions to improve distribution.
• Floating consumable boxes were brought back down to Earth (or relevant body).

AI

• The on-foot friendly-fire system has been extended to include turrets, skimmers, and ships.
• Attacking an enemy dropship can no longer cause a friendly settlement to become hostile.

Combat

• Fixed an issue in multiplayer whereby throwing a grenade consumed multiple grenades (that didn’t seem fair).
• Slightly reduced how much power the Scorpion’s Surge Repeated consumes allowing for longer runs of sustained fire at full accuracy.

Codex: Pilot’s Handbook

• The Fleet Carrier guide was updated to include the new concourse services and functions.
• Missing images when accessing some articles via the Insight Hub were replaced.

Codex: Knowledge Base

The following articles have been added:

• Aegis
• The Consortium
• Generation Ships
• Pilots’ Federation
• Several entries under “Corporations”
• Ishmael Palin’s entry was updated.
• The Guardians section saw a terminology correction.

Audio

• Fixed some broken UI sounds in outfitting weapon and suit cosmetics.
• Fixed broken main menu button sounds under Controls and Extras.
• Fixed broken UI sounds in the player character creation screen.
• Fixed mix issues on the Scorpion SRV deploy and stow sounds.
• Fixed various Fleet Carrier management screen audibility and mix issues.
• Fixed an issue where the Apex radio comms voice, heard when taxi drivers request landing clearance, gets stuck.
• Fixed the fridge sounds behind the bar areas sometimes being loud.
• Fixed mix issues on the turbo lifts in social spaces.
• Fixed inaudible UI sounds in the on-foot Shipyard menus
• Fixed the continuous tinkling Supercruise flyby sound when on another player’s ship.
• Fixed a transition on the Galaxy Map music.
• Fixed issues when disembarking on foot from either SRV type.
• Fixed the sound of flying through the rings in the ship tutorial.
• Fixed the rotating loading screen animation on some menus being silent.
• Fixed the cinematic when purchasing a Fleet Carrier being silent.
• Fixed the “back” action in Carrier Livery to no longer be silent.

Art

• The Cargo Loader and cargo canisters were added for Protect missions.
• Small settlement landing pads schematics were enlarged to aid navigation and landing.
• LOD issues on various doors and screens were fixed.
• The offset Livery camera for the Python was fixed.
• Non-tinted colours of beverage materials were fixed.
• A hitcheck issue on the Krait Mk II Raider ship kit, preventing some weapons from firing was fixed.
• Hitcheck issues on the Fer-de-Lance underside were fixed.
• A missing hitcheck on the underside of the dome seen in Agricultural settlements was added.
• Multiple hitcheck issues on legacy planet settlement objects were fixed.
• Ship landing gear was adjusted to render more pleasingly.
• The door glass shader in Agricultural settlements was adjusted to tint glass correctly.
• Electricae scatter assets now have been subtly colour-adjusted, using LUT data from the planet surface to recolour them.
• The warning light in the Beluga cockpit now emits from an apparent source.
• A material issue on a laboratory workbench was fixed.
• Z-lighting on decals at a Thargoid Imprint was fixed.
• Adjusted high tech doors to slide open without intersecting.
• Fixed floating rocks at a Thargoid ship crash site.
• Improved the alignment of thrusters on the nose of the Cobra Mk IV
• Fixed the glow on collectables at Guardian sites when approached in an SRV.
• Fixed an occlusion issue seen from the hangar lobby of some Industrial stations.
• The glow of activated Guardian pylons was made more visible.
• Fixed the incorrect appearance of some AI feet and torsos.

Rendering

• Fixed suits and visors rendering in-front of particle VFX.
• Fixed misaligned text on Fleet Carrier nameplates and decals.
• Fixed scatter rock appearing black on planet surfaces from a distance.
• Fixed the cockpit view rendering over the Galaxy Map.
• Checkerboard rendering is now automatically applied to low, medium, and high quality graphics settings. This option will reduce the cost of the planet terrain shader when in close proximity to a landable planet.

UI

• Truncation issues on the Ship panel of the right-hand internal panel were fixed.
• Text colouring on the ship boarding panel was fixed.
• The layout of the search results in the Galaxy Map when missions exist in bookmarked systems was fixed.
• Text resizing to the item/emote wheel so letter wrap correctly was added.
• Focusing behaviour for the staff list on terminals was fixed.
• Filters at the Pioneer Supplies vendor when buying/selling a weapon on suit were fixed, preventing new items which don’t match the filters being shown.
• An issue on the multicrew report popup that would cause multiple crew members to be selected at once was fixed.
• Rank animations were adjusted to display the correct ranks.
• An icon was added to the radar to display powered-down recharge stations.

Performance and Optimisation

• Unnecessary operations were reduced in the humanoid HUD markers system.
• Fixed cases of shadows flickering from directional lights.
• All visual effects at settlements will now adjust to graphics settings.
• Selecting graphic pre-sets now correctly applies super resolution values with FSR.
• Other rendering optimisations:
• Reduced the workload for maintaining avatars while they are not visible.
• Ensured planet-related systems do not perform unnecessary work when in space.
• Miscellaneous optimisations to lighting and colour grading.
• Fixed some incorrect text in a Theft mission.
• Fixed an issue where a faction would sometimes target themselves for a Hacking mission.
• Fixed an issue where some missions expire but not correctly fail.
• Fixed Salvage missions failing to have the relevant item for the mission.
• Fixed the spawning of mission givers for the hand-in of missions taken from a settlement.

Server & Stability

• Fixed Stygian paint jobs appearing as the wrong colour on the Cobra Mk IV.
• Fixed a Black Adder server error when deploying a second fighter from the ship.
• Fixed some black markets not being activated during Civil Unrest.
• Fixed a crash while embarking/disembarking at settlements.
• Fixed a crash when dying during the tutorial.
• Fixed a crash that could occur while jumping to hyperspace/Supercruise while trespassing.

Issue Tracker Fixes

• Fixed issues with ships not inheriting the spin of stations when undocking with Flight Assist off and Auto-Launch on, resulting in rapid spinning and collisions.
• Fixed issues with not being able to collect resources from Crystalline Structures.
• The brightness and flickering when mining icy asteroids was reduced.

Horizons

• Fleet Carrier tariffs (as described in the Odyssey Fleet Carrier section) were made backwards compatible.
• Some stability fixes were added.
• An incorrect string when selecting the Multi-Limpet Controller in Outfitting was fixed.
• Hairstyles displaying incorrectly in Holo-Me were fixed.
• Crew voices changing upon re-launch of the game or switching modes was fixed.
• Fleet Carrier nameplates and decals appearing off-centre was fixed.
• A lack of notifications for Fleet Carrier jumps until 10 seconds beforehand was fixed.

Originally, the plan was to focus on releasing the expansion on consoles once the PC bugs were addressed. Now, it seems that will not be happening anymore, as Frontier has decided to not only cancel the Odyssey expansions console launch, but also further development of the base game on Xbox or PlayStation, in order to shift focus to PC, which houses the largest player base for the game.

David Braben, the founder of Frontier Developments, announced the same on their official website, saying that instead of focusing on multiple codebases of the game, they want to channel their energy into one single codebase, hence the decision.

He said: “Over the last several months, we have been wrestling with the best way to move forward, and it is with a heavy heart we have decided to cancel all console development. We need to be able to move forward with the story of the game, and in order for us to do this, we need to focus on a single codebase. Elite Dangerous will continue on console as it is now together with critical updates, but we will focus on new content updates on PC on the post-Odyssey codebase.”

Braben also confirmed that Frontier will be sharing further news about the game in “due course”.

Our primary consideration while formulating and ranking this list hasn’t been to judge these games as complete experiences, but rather to focus primarily on their sandbox mechanics, and their strengths as sandbox games.

Kerbal Space Program

What happens when you need to not only build your own spaceships and rockets but also fly them, while training a crew of Kerbals in the process? That’s only the beginning of Kerbal Space Program as players embark across the universe, touching down on different planets and creating bases. Or they could remain in space, creating huge stations and locating anomalies. With three different modes, like Science Mode for discovering new technology, and Career Mode for managing your very own space program, Kerbal Space Program has it all.

METROID PRIME

Nintendo’s seminal Metroid series has always seen us explore wondrous and unearthly alien vistas, and Metroid Prime was no exception to that rule. As the game that took the series to 3D, in fact, it presented us with more starkly realized alien landscapes than any game in the series has before. Tallon IV is a beautiful, desolate planet haunted by the remnants of the Chozo, and as you dig deeper into its secrets, you find threats hitherto undreamt of. There are many reasons to play a game as stellar as Metroid Prime, but the star of the show is the world it has you explore – few outer space games have achieved a setting as rich or as well realized as Metroid Prime did.

Elite Dangerous will get an update at the end of this month that will largely focus on easing new players into the 2015 space flight simulator (which you can read our take on through here). The new features will include Beginners’ Zones tutorial levels for newer players who have yet to earn their first Combat, Trade, or Exploration rank, hopefully to help those coming to the game for the first time. Along with that, also being added is the Supercruise Assist, which will put your target destination and safety in your machine’s hands to maintain your correct speed and approach.

While the big focus will be on helping out new players, there’s some stuff for advanced players as well, like the Interstellar Initiatives, which are longer, more important Community Goals that current players can work toward, along with several fixes. You can see the partial list of changes and additions coming as part of the update below, and the full patch notes here.

Elite: Dangerous is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and the April update will be live on the 23^rd.

Beginners’ Zone

A new collection of systems has been added for newly-created Commanders, and can only be accessed by pilots until they earn their first Combat, Trade or Exploration rank. In addition, the authorities here will provide simpler missions that even the smallest of Sidewinders can complete. Across the galaxy, new Commanders will also have a reduced rebuy until they gain their first Combat, Trade or Exploration rank, a step in the path towards greatness!

New Modules

Advanced Docking Computer​

​We’re adding an upgraded version of the original Docking Computer, a module designed to allow Commanders to relax, let go of their flight sticks and automatically dock in stations to the serene strings of Johann Strauss II.​ The Advanced Docking Computer will not only allow you to dock, but also allow you to automatically undock from a station without anxiously worrying about getting stuck inside the mail slot. Let’s face it, it will also help with those embarrassing Type-10 spoiler moments!​

This module will also come as standard in all newly-purchased small ships. If you’re starting up a new account, you will find the Advanced Docking Computer in your ship from the get-go – making it easier for you to embark and disembark from your favorite stations without colliding with the walls, landing pads or your fellow Commanders.​

Supercruise Assist​

​Available at your nearest starship department store (i.e. Outfitting) comes the new Supercruise Assist module. While in Supercruise, you’ll be able to target a destination and activate Supercruise Assist, putting your safety in the reassuring hands of a machine. In this mode, your ship will automatically maintain the correct speed and approach to your target destination, and break out of Supercruise at the optimum time. You’ll still have to align with the correct location, but you will no longer have to worry about doing a loop of shame!​ With the Supercruise Assist, you will also be able to enter into orbit around a body – allowing you to launch discovery probes and take screenshots without the fear of face-planting the dusty, rocky ground.​ This module will also come as standard in all newly-purchased ships.​

Free module slots for everyone

With the introduction of these new modules, small ships will be outfitted with two additional size one Optional Internal slots, while medium and large ships will also receive one additional Optional Internal slot. This will automatically and retroactively apply to all relevant ships.

Navigation Tab

In Beyond – Chapter Four, the cockpit was completely revamped, and with the April Update, come even more improvements! The latest area to feel the love is the Navigation Panel where, in places, we have added icons for a tighter, more visually appealing layout. A new column has been added to this panel, denoting activities in an area, mission targets, plotted routes, Wanted status and if the threat level of some areas is too high. The Navigation popup expands on this information, providing more details about the location, such as faction details, star class, information of resources and more!”

Frontier Development’s excellent park sim game with a dinosaur twist, Jurassic World Evolution, which launched last year alongside the latest entry from the movie franchise, seems to have done very well for itself. In a press release today, the developer confirmed that worldwide sales of the game have topped 2 million copies across all three systems that it is out on. The last we had heard, it had topped a million units.

The most noticeable result of this success for the game is that Frontier’s revenue is up by a staggering 237% year on year, with the success of Evolution alongside Frontier’s Elite: Dangerous, which is now at 4 million units sold across all systems, pushing the company to a revenue of $82 million for the year (up front $24 million last year).

For Frontier, the success of Jurassic World Evolution is especially notable because it was their first self-published game. In the press release, the company promises more information about its future projects soon, so if you’re a fan of their brand of simulation games, hopefully they’ll have something for you to chew on soon enough.

Jurassic World Evolution and Elite: Dangerous are out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Frontier Developments has confirmed that the open beta for the upcoming season for its popular MMO space sim Elite Dangerous, Beyond: Chapter One, is now available on PC. The beta is free to everyone, and gives you a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming updates coming to the game.

The beta will let you access new features such as the Galnet Audio (which should, among other things, make it easier for you to sign up for Wing Missions), and will also let you have a say in what the final update looks like by soliciting your feedback based on what you play. You will also be able to see the changes to the Crimes and Punishments system, and take part in missions with three distinctive reward packages.

All in all, it sounds like a hefty beta. The final update is due out on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 for free later this year.

Players of Frontier’s massively multiplayer space shooter sim Elite Dangerous will soon be able to get themselves a taste of the planned season three, when Beyond: Chapter One‘s open beta goes live later this month. Among other things, the beta will let you play in Wing Missions, which are team based objectives players from around the world can participate in.

In addition, the beta brings with it the Chieftain, an Alliance Warship, and multiple gameplay and graphical improvements across the board as well, including better rendering technology for distant planets, better engineering mechanics, rebalanced mission rewards, as well as a re-tweaked Crime and Punishment system to add layers of risk and reward.

While the final update is meant to go live as a free download for all players of the game across PS4, Xbox One, and PC, for now, the beta will be available starting January 25 on all platforms.

Frontier Developments has confirmed that the PS4 version of Elite: Dangerous, its persistent space sim, and the newest installment in a long beloved series (and genre), will be releasing on PlayStation 4 on June 27. Until now, the game has been available on PC, and on Xbox One.

“We are delighted to be bringing our acclaimed multiplayer space epic to the PlayStation 4 – new players on the platform are joining at an exciting time in the Elite Dangerous galaxy after the recent first alien encounters in-game,” said David Walsh, Chief Operations Officer of Frontier Developments.

You can pre-order the game on the PSN Store now. The physical release of the game will also be in leading retail stores starting next month, on both, PS4 and Xbox One- so if you haven’t gotten the game yet because you would rather get an actual physical disc, well, you’re in luck. And you have no excuses anymore.