Introducing space development simulation "Keplerian Space Discovery"—a project filled with passion that made me think, "You can't create something like this unless you truly love it" [TGS2025]
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/838/G083862/20250927008/
Editorial Department: S.K.Y | 2025/09/26 16:53 (UTC)
The Tokyo Game Show 2025 is being held at Makuhari Messe from September 25 to 28, 2025. While scouting the indie booths between interviews, I suddenly noticed a title that looked interesting—this is the game we’re introducing today: Keplerian Space Discovery.
Hmm… it seems to be about space development. Watching players in action, they were assembling rockets and launching them into space. It reminded me of Kerbal Space Program (KSP), so I decided to try playing.
Developed by indie studio Kugelblitz, this game lets you build your own rockets and launch them into space for exploration. You can freely combine components such as engines, fuel tanks, and fairings to construct a rocket capable of leaving Earth’s atmosphere. At the exhibition, I was able to experience assembling a basic rocket and actually launching it.
What’s interesting is the ability to input various numerical values properly so that launches occur automatically—something not found in KSP. As someone who struggles with manual controls, this feature felt like a welcome addition.
To be honest, while Keplerian Space Discovery closely resembles KSP, its developer was so deeply hooked on playing it for over 1,000 hours that they eventually grew disappointed with the sequel, Kerbal Space Program 2, which didn’t match their expectations. That’s when they decided to create their own game.
If we compare the two, one major difference is that Keplerian Space Discovery portrays real celestial bodies—the solar system itself. The movements of these celestial objects are precisely simulated based on Kepler’s equations. Just watching their motion is enjoyable in its own right.
The game will include standard features such as earning funds by completing contracts and launching satellites, with the ability to build space stations eventually. In the demo version, I saw the actual International Space Station (ISS) orbiting Earth—this too is based on real ISS orbital data.
What struck me most about this game was the intense passion behind it—what I’d describe as “you can’t make something like this unless you’re truly passionate.” Even though there are already pioneers in this niche genre, creating a title like this is exactly what such dedication looks like. Of course, most developers love their games and think they’re fun—but Keplerian Space Discovery carries something subtly different.
Early access is scheduled to launch on March 16, 2026—the centenary of Robert H. Goddard’s historic first liquid-fueled rocket launch. A milestone in space history, and I hope this date will also mark a significant step forward for Keplerian Space Discovery.