Interview: The Largest Project in Daedalic's Publishing History to Date

Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown is set to launch on 18 February 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S. This story-driven survival strategy game puts players in control of the iconic starship's fate. Players take the helm, manage the ship and its resources, and make difficult decisions. The game is being developed by gameXcite in Hamburg, while Daedalic Entertainment, which is also based in Hamburg, is acting as the publisher. We spoke to Jonas Hüsges (COO of Daedalic Entertainment) and Patrick Streppel (Founder and CEO of gameXcite GmbH, as well as Chief Product Officer of Jumpgate AB) about the licence for the TV series (which premiered over 30 years ago), user feedback on the demo, how the development team has grown in recent years (thanks in part to funding), and the importance of the game for the publisher, given that it is the largest project in Daedalic Entertainment's publishing history to date.

GamesMarkt: With over 100,000 downloads, the Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown demo was by far Daedalic's most successful ever on Steam. How important was the demo ultimately in shaping the game? This is especially interesting given that you released an updated demo, presumably to show players that you had taken their feedback on board.

Jonas Hüsges: "From a pre-release perspective, that assessment is correct. In terms of lifetime performance, however, other demos such as the one for Shadow Tactics performed comparably strong and were also a very important tool for word-of-mouth at the time. From a publisher's point of view, we clearly see a broader industry trend towards demos becoming more important again. And it is no secret that nowadays demos are more than just PR-tools. Players expect developers and publishers to listen to their feedback and we take that very seriously."

Patrick Streppel: "Given that our game is a unique genre mix, it was important to us to get player feedback as early as possible. While the overall response was very positive, with the demo sitting at 81 percent on Steam, we carefully analyzed the criticism as well and used it to improve a number of areas, ranging from space combat to the overall presentation. The updated demo was a conscious step to show players that their input directly influenced development."

GamesMarkt: This is the first Star Trek: Voyager game in a long time and it has a sizable fan base, albeit perhaps not as large as those of The Next Generation or DS9. How do you deal with expectations in this context?

Patrick Streppel: "I think it helps that I am a Trekkie myself. I originally watched Star Trek: Voyager on VHS tapes imported from the UK because the German air dates were lagging behind, and I played virtually every Star Trek game from Starfleet Command to Bridge Commander on day one."

"When designing Across the Unknown, our goal was to create a game that is not only fun to play, but that truly respects the Star Trek legacy by closely adhering to established lore. While we give players meaningful choices, we constantly asked ourselves whether those choices would work within Gene Roddenberry's vision, the technology of the 24th century, and the personalities of the characters as established by the writers.

"The narrative is designed to feel like re-watching the show, but this time you are in command. We believe longtime fans will feel the love for the IP, while newcomers will get an authentic introduction to the franchise."

GamesMarkt: There are relatively few Star Trek-licensed games. How did you convince Paramount Consumer Products to grant you the licence for Voyager?

Patrick Streppel: "Here again, being a huge Star Trek fan certainly didn't hurt. But more importantly, I believe our vision for a premium Star Trek game that genuinely puts players into the Captain's Chair convinced Paramount to give us a chance, even though we were a relatively unknown studio at the time."

"Where licensed games can sometimes feel like the IP is simply added on top, Across the Unknown is built around what the show is actually about. It combines survival strategy with exploration, space combat, away missions and a strong, branching narrative that reflects the core themes of Star Trek: Voyager."