After four years, indie hit Starbound is finally heading toward full release

Chucklefish Games is nearly ready to launch the full version of Starbound, its procedurally generated space adventure cult hit. The Windows PC game, which launched in Steam Early Access at the end of 2013, will soon receive its next update, "the big 1.0," according to the developer.

Version 1.0 will bring several new features, including Starbound's complete story mode. Planets will now include several biomes and dungeons, and the developer is adding several missions and quests to the game. A post on the development blog details all of the additions in full, going in-depth on changes to the crafting system, multiplayer and more.

Even without a specific release date, the news that Starbound will soon be available as a fully featured release has excited fans. Thanks to the studio's transparency, the game has developed a cult following that's stayed committed throughout the years.

Chucklefish first announced the game all the way back in February 2012; its December 2013 beta release was preceded by daily development updates. Starbound received favorable reviews based on its Early Access build and went on to sell more than one million copies in its first month on Steam.

The developer has kept players informed of updates to the game since its launch; a long, detailed changelog on the game's wiki keeps track of the numerous iterations it's gone through over the years.

Chucklefish has kept busy in other ways, too; it published Stardew Valley in February. The farming simulator has since gone on to find major success of its own. Its developer, who goes by the name ConcernedApe, also plans to keep updating that game post-launch.