Just a few weeks ago, we noted that it appeared Ship of Heroes’ release plans had continued shifting around (at one point, it was targeting 2021), but as of today, all that’s changed: Heroic Games has officially announced a launch for the game in Q2 2025, so basically next spring.
“Many parts of the game are working and integrated and launch-ready now, so we’re fairly confident about this date,” the studio says. “Right now, we’re fixing bugs and filling in the last gaps, which should take 4-6 months. And SoH already includes some exciting features that many modern MMORPGs lack.”
“We will have a technical test next year, during which players will be able to sample Ship of Heroes and help us stress-test our server setup. Until then, you can join our testing team under NDA and tell us what you think to help us improve the game. We’re very responsive to feedback. Launch is only the beginning. We plan to steadily expand the game with new stories, new challenges, new foes, and new worlds.”
Most of the announcement is a long-form pitch for the game that will be of use to you if you’re somehow just now hearing about the game, but veteran MMORPG players are surely aware that this game is one of multiple indie superhero MMORPGs taking inspiration from City of Heroes, which at the time was sunsetted and inaccessible to the vast majority of MMO gamers. We’ve been following Ship since its original announcement in 2016, meaning it’ll be over eight years old by the time it launches. It’s technically crowdfunded, though it canceled its Kickstarter, and the concept is that you’re playing a superhero traveling on a massive spaceship big enough to hold an entire city, and while it’s very visibly indie, the developers have been focused hard on bringing the gameplay up to speed with modern expectations, especially in terms of character creation, character development, and combat content.
A sampling of our coverage from the last eight years!
• Eight-year-old indie superhero MMORPG Ship of Heroes sets a Q2 2025 launch window • Ship of Heroes spent its fall working on everything from difficulty sliders to an auction hall • ‘The era of the big raid has returned,’ superhero MMORPG Ship of Heroes declares • Ship of Heroes recaps 2023 development, marking ‘dramatic progress’ toward its 2024 launch • Ship of Heroes buffs up its travel powers in the service of this weird thing called ‘fun’ • Kickstarted superhero MMORPG Ship of Heroes’ power augments borrow all the right bits from City of Heroes • Ship of Heroes’ digital storefront leaks the MMORPG’s box price and subscription fee • The Stream Team: Diving into the latest Ship of Heroes demo build • Ship of Heroes provides a full playthrough video of its demo’s very first mission • Ship of Heroes’ latest video demos its inspiration-like infusion system for buffs • Ship of Heroes’ arrival on Steam is imminent as Heroic is still planning launch in 2023 • Ship of Heroes shows off the 114 preset faces of its character creator • The Stream Team: Taking another look at the Ship of Heroes housing beta • The Stream Team: Checking out the Ship of Heroes housing beta • Ship of Heroes’ player housing beta begins today • Ship of Heroes bumps beta to spring, reveals City of Heroes- and SWTOR-inspired base building system • Into the Super-verse: First impressions of Ship of Heroes’ mission beta • Ship of Heroes calls one and all to its July beta event, postpones launch to 2022 • Ship of Heroes’ latest video talks mission creation and likely 2021 launch • The Stream Team: It’s raining invasions in Ship of Heroes • Over a thousand people rolled toons in Ship of Heroes’ impromptu beta • Into the Super-verse: Ship of Heroes’ character creator is bare-bones yet still engaging • The Stream Team: Testing Ship of Heroes’ character creation closed beta with Heroic Games • Ship of Heroes says its character creator is a ‘huge step up from games like City of Heroes and SWTOR’ • Into the Super-verse: Why Ship of Heroes’ character customization tool is so important • Into the Super-verse: How Ship of Heroes is winning the superhero race • Ship of Heroes says it plans ‘to top the City of Heroes character creator’ • Ship of Heroes says it’s gonna have the ‘best UI in the galaxy’ • PAX East 2018: Talking superhero MMOs with Ship of Heroes’ Casey McGeever • GDC 2018: In the crow’s nest with Ship of Heroes’ CEO Casey McGeever • The Stream Team: A dev tour of Ship of Heroes • Exclusive: Ship of Heroes’ Casey McGeever on the superhero MMORPG genre • PAX West 2017: Ship of Heroes on exploration, community, and recapturing the magic of City of Heroes • City of Heroes-inspired MMORPG Ship of Heroes has canceled its Kickstarter bid • City of Heroes-inspired Ship of Heroes’ $400,000 Kickstarter is live • Massively OP Interview: Why Ship of Heroes is taking City of Heroes into space • Ship of Heroes becomes the fourth City of Heroes spiritual successor Source: Official site
