Times & Galaxy Has a Closed Beta Coming Up

Good journalism is just detective work, just without the immunity if you suspect your life is in danger. I’m a fan of just about any game with the pretense of being a journo, probably spawned from the likes of Beyond Good & Evil, and there are a couple cropping up this year. Already we’ve seen the Early Access release of News Tower, but it seems 2024 is set to get another with Copychaser Games and Fellow Traveller’s Times & Galaxy.

“Developed by former journalists, Times & Galaxy is a funny, heartfelt adventure about space aliens and the richness of the stories that make up their everyday lives,” as the press release notes. Continuing on with: “Set in a solar system full of space lizards (Augers), goo people (Xeel), robots and other assorted species including humans, players step into the shoes of an intern at the system’s most trusted holopaper, the Times & Galaxy. They embark on assignments across the galaxy, meeting a colorful cast of over 100 alien weirdos and reporting at hyper-speed on important hyper-local stories such as the Humania Dirt Fair or a Space Ghost Funeral!

Their goal[:] Keeping their job at the end of the internship and winning a coveted spot on the permanent team. The staff of the Times & Galaxy don’t work from home, they live at work! Specifically[,] they live and work on the Scanner, a huge starship/newsroom converted from a decommissioned warship. In between assignments, players will build (or break) relationships with their fellow reporters and the ship’s crew. Across a story of more than 200,000 words, the choices they make on and off the record will impact both the direction of the paper and how their colleagues feel about them.”

Paint me space interested. If that alone hasn’t sold you on Copychaser’s upcoming title, the credits behind the studio’s founder, Ben Gelinas, might: They were a writer and editor of Mass Effect, editor for Dragon Age: Inquisition, a narrative writer of Control, as well as its “The Foundation” DLC. Gelinas’ mission statement is to “make weird indie games;” Times & Galaxy is certainly that, with its odd characters and explosions of color. Gelinas also spent 2 years as a crime writer for the Edmonton Journal.

Set to release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 (no PS4?), and PC later this year in Q2. Though eager journos in the making can maybe get a taste of what is to come sooner than that. Yes, if you go over to Steam right now, there is a demo available that is going to give you a short little taste. However, as noted in the latest update on Steam, you can also register for the closed beta coming between February 26th and March 11th. To register, just fill out this small form, and of course, read the information first.

I’m excited to see what is to come from the small dev team, with a refreshing idea for the journalism sims available and a colorful art direction, Times & Galaxy looks fun. With a hint of tongue-in-cheek flirting to satisfy those who loved Copychaser’s previous title, Speed Dating for Ghosts, there could be some interesting dynamics too. I’ll be waiting to see what is to come from Times & Galaxy in Q2 of 2024, that’s for sure. You never know, you might become the next Ford Perfect, writing galactic encyclopedias.