Raph Koster’s Stars Reach revives sandbox MMO ambitions

Raph Koster, the designer behind Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, is building an MMO that aims to feel like an alternate world rather than a set of engagement loops. "This is the game I have wanted to make for 30 years," Koster said, and he wanted to show how weather and environment are part of that vision: rain falls, water pools, rivers carve terrain and lakes freeze, all as part of a persistent ecological simulation.

Every cubic meter of a planet in Stars Reach carries temperature, humidity, geology and hundreds of material properties. Players can melt stone into lava, cool it into new rock, start or stop forest fires, and even trigger cave collapses through overmining. Koster framed those mechanics as tools that preserve a sense of wonder: the simulation exists to hide its machinery and keep the magic intact.

The game spans thousands of planets linked by wormholes that can appear and disappear, and new worlds will be discovered as the project evolves.

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