Writers are often the unsung heroes of well written games. Paradox are one developer who recognize this, indeed, they have already given tribute to many writers. Each time Paradox release a major update for Stellaris they have named it after one of Sci Fi’s greatest writers, such as: Asimov, Heinlein or Clarke. But this time they’ve decided to honour not just a great Sci Fi writer, but a great game writer too: Alexis Kennedy.

Applauded for his work on Sunless Sea, and Fallen London, you could be forgiven for thinking that Alexis is a fantasy writer. But, fans of Sunless Sea or indeed any fans of Steampunk in general, can tell you that there’s plenty of science to mess around with in Victorian England. This time however, Alexis has turned his talents to the depths of space, to the depths of men’s hearts and to the depths of man’s fears too. Employed by Paradox to create a new story arc, Alexis has planted a mystery somewhere among the stars. I won’t give you any more details for now, and indeed, the trailer above doesn’t reveal much either, but I have confidence that Alexis Kennedy will give you a new perspective the next time you look up to space.

Earlier updates to Stellaris have focused on balance, bug fixing and a few new features like October’s Heinlein update, that complements the Leviathan DLC. But it’s nice to see that the 1.4 Kennedy update adds more depth to the game for everyone, in terms of story-line and discoveries.

I’ve had my issues with the latest patch. Updates can sometimes break games for modders, and a game that I’d put fifteen hours into became unplayable from Sunday night. However, the issues I had, were not unexpected, and it’s partially Steam’s fault for the way they update games & mods without giving you the option NOT change anything on YOUR computer. But, credit where credits due, Stellaris is a rare gem of a game that continues to surprise and delight, few developers update their game as much or as regularly as paradox do, few developers enable modding as much as Paradox have, and few developers pay as much attention to their community as Paradox has.