Starship job simulation game Contact Protocol launches in spring 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, and PC
Published by Kinetic Publishing.
Kinetic Publishing will publish Cold Zephyr Games-developed starship job simulation game Contact Protocol when it launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, and PC via Steam in spring 2027, the companies announced.
“Contact Protocol is inspired by the simple premise that, when under pressure and inundated with information, people do not make good decisions!” said Cold Zephyr Games lead designer Mick Hunter in a press release. “We’ve engineered the game so that the player’s cognitive load is at its highest whenever they are faced with a difficult moral decision – and we want to challenge them to make choices that they won’t regret later down the line. It’s about towing the line between doing the job, and doing the right thing.”
Here is an overview of the game, via Kinetic Publishing:
About
Contact Protocol sees players take on the role of a security officer onboard the starship Pale Horse, a GalCo mining vessel setting course to Jupiter‘s largest moon. Players will have to assess the intentions of approaching ships, comparing the information they provide against company records, and determine whether they are friend or foe.
This is no simple admin job, however—as discrepancies are interrogated and requests for information are sent, the unknown ship approaches ever closer. Uncertainty can lead to disaster for the Pale Horse if a passing ship means harm, but choose to fire torpedoes out of caution, and players can doom a ship full of innocents. All the while, the company is watching, with the threat of legal action looming if paperwork is mismanaged.
Key Features
- Investigate, Interrogate, Engage – Cross-reference incoming data bursts against company records, prod for answers to explain discrepancies, and destroy incoming ships that don’t meet the mark.
- Multi-Task – Fix contact frequencies, check hull images, and recover corrupted data—all while answering comms.
- Choices Matter – Player decisions will affect your relationships with the crew and their narratives, and will have knock-on effects throughout the solar system.
- Procedural Starships – No two encounters will be the same, and no outcome can be predicted.
- A Painted Universe – Discover a striking science-fiction world as sketchy and hard-edged as the game’s distinct art style.
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