The “Mount Rushmore” of beloved space operas would certainly include Star Wars, Star Trek, and . Securing that prized fourth spot is trickier, but if longevity and cultural acclaim are the criteria, it might well belong to Battlestar Galactica—a far-reaching multimedia franchise that started with a short-lived 1970s TV show and expanded to inspire comic books, video games, a tabletop board game, and one of the most critically lauded TV series of the Golden Age of Television. Yet, despite this breadth, the core franchise has been inactive for over a decade since the 2012 release of Blood & Chrome, a web series prequel to the 2004 TV reimagining.
Now, 17 years after the TV reboot concluded and nine years following the last video game, Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, developers at Alt Shift have returned to the cosmos to once again follow the survivors of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes marks the series’ first new game in nearly a decade, and based on initial gameplay footage, it’s shaping up to be an engaging, thoughtful return to .
Battlestar Galactica’s Most Recent Video Game Venture
The franchise’s latest video game prior to this, Deadlock, was a turn-based strategy title developed by Black Lab Games and published by Slitherine Software. Set in the reboot timeline during the first Cylon War—a key backstory element that underpins every show iteration—the game centered on resource management and space battles featuring warships from the Colonial Fleet, the primary military branch of the Colonial Forces. Hailed upon release as the first truly excellent game in Battlestar Galactica history, Deadlock received DLC content up until 2020.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes Is a Welcome Comeback
Unlike Deadlock, Scattered Hopes is set decades after the first Cylon War (still within the reboot universe) and shortly after the catastrophic destruction of humanity’s intergalactic Twelve Colonies—a pivotal event that drives what remains of humankind’s quest for a new home. Players will command a fleet of survivors trying to reunite with the Battlestar Galactica while evading Cylon forces intent on their eradication.
Scattered Hopes shares some gameplay similarities with Deadlock but also has notable differences. Both alternate between large-scale space battles and resource management phases, yet Scattered Hopes introduces randomized events, feuding human factions within the fleet, heroes whose health and morale require attention, and explorable map points—all while a timer counts down to the arrival of Cylon forces and the next battle. Additionally, unlike Deadlock’s turn-based system, Scattered Hopes is a real-time strategy game, meaning combat decisions must be made instantly.
With so much time having passed since the franchise was last revitalized, Alt Shift and publisher Dotemu face the challenge of satisfying fans eager to revisit the human/Cylon conflict. However, based on the depth and immersion showcased so far, everyone involved with Scattered Hopes seems deeply committed to the franchise. Making tough survival choices is a hallmark of Battlestar Galactica’s morally complex and beloved sci-fi narrative, and now players will be in the commander’s seat.