Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander released last September exclusively on PC, and became a bit of a sleeper hit, as it garnered good reviews and sold well on Steam. Like any game, Halcyon 6 wasn't perfect, so the developers reworked the game and are releasing Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition on August 10. Lightspeed Edition will be a free update for those who already own Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander, and  will be the only version for one to purchase after that date.

The first thing Lightspeed Edition streamlines is the game's campaign. Player progression has been sped up, and the campaign will now last one around twelve hours. Other systems have also been streamlined, making things like officer leveling and resource management easier. The new officer progression system includes six subclasses, three prestige classes, a new skill tree, and new prestige powers.

Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition also features a new ship loadout screen that lets players customize and save them before entering combat, a new difficulty mode called Vice Admiral, and a general UI overhaul that improves "readability and usability" according to the developers. Combat has also been enhanced, as the game now includes over 25 new alien faction combat abilities, more player and enemy combos, increased faction weaknesses, and balancing fixes.

Ken Seto, CEO of Massive Damage, had the following to say about the game's community, which was a major influence to Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition:

"The best part of working on Halcyon 6 is our supportive community who loves this game as much as we do! From the streamlined campaign, new officer classes, new powers, new UI, and many quality of life improvements, Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition drove us back to the drawing board to look over every aspect of the original game. We couldn't have done it without our fans and that's why we'll be giving all of our existing players a FREE copy of Lightspeed Edition.”

You can check out some screenshots of the game and watch the announcement trailer below. Halcyon 6: Lightspeed Edition releases on PC August 10.