Elite Dangerous fans have a long wait ahead for the space sim’s next “major milestone” update, with Frontier Developments estimating that it won’t be ready until the latter half of 2020.
Since its release in 2014, Elite Dangerous has received two large-scale content expansions, presented as multi-part seasons. The first, Horizons, introduced the likes of planetary landings, ship-launched fighters, and multi-crew co-op, while the latest season, 2018’s Beyond, focussed mainly on quality of life improvements and core gameplay overhauls.
Elite Dangerous’ next significant expansion was first discussed last August, when Frontier revealed that it had begun work on the space sim’s “next major era”. In a new post detailing its future plans, the developer calls this project, “a defining moment in the history of the game” and “our biggest update yet”. It has not, however, given any indication of what it might include – although fans remain ever hopeful to finally see atmospheric landings and space legs.
With the latter half of 2020 still some way off, Frontier has also offered some clues as to what the Elite Dangerous community can expect to see in the interim. Development activities, it says, will take the form of weekly and monthly events, alongside updates (due every 3-4 months) that will be smaller in scale compared to those seen in previous seasons, “as the majority of the development team will be focusing on the new era.”
These smaller offerings will include “new features, perks and content”, alongside “additions to the game that will build up to this new era”. The first two of these updates, says Frontier, will mainly focus on “new player and welcoming experiences”, as well as quality of life improvements, tweaks, and bug fixes for everyone.