Elite Dangerous
Galaxy reborn
David Braben's Elite Dangerous revived the legendary space trading franchise with a 1:1 scale Milky Way galaxy, proving procedural generation could create universes.
Overview
Four hundred billion star systems. A galaxy modelled on real astronomical data. Thirty years after the original Elite, David Braben returned to space with Elite Dangerous. Crowdfunded through Kickstarter, the 2014 release demonstrated that procedural generation could create explorable universes at impossible scales. Players traded, fought, and explored a Milky Way that would take real-world lifetimes to fully chart.
Fast facts
- Developer: Frontier Developments (Cambridge, UK).
- Lead designer: David Braben.
- Kickstarter: £1.5 million raised (2012).
- Galaxy size: 400 billion star systems.
Technical achievement
| Feature | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Stellar Forge | Procedural star system generation |
| 1:1 scale | Galaxy matches real Milky Way dimensions |
| Seamless transitions | No loading between space and planets |
| Real astronomical data | Known stars in correct positions |
Elite lineage
| Game | Year | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Elite | 1984 | BBC Micro, others |
| Frontier: Elite II | 1993 | Amiga, PC, others |
| First Encounters | 1995 | PC |
| Elite Dangerous | 2014 | PC, consoles |
Gameplay pillars
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Trading | Buy low, sell high across systems |
| Combat | Bounty hunting, piracy, military |
| Exploration | Discovering uncharted systems |
| Mining | Resource extraction |
| Passenger transport | Taxi service across the galaxy |
Cambridge connection
Frontier Developments represents Cambridge’s games heritage—David Braben founded the studio in 1994 after creating Elite with Ian Bell. The studio developed from Braben’s garage to a publicly traded company, embodying how bedroom coding could evolve into industry institutions.
Horizons and beyond
Post-launch expansions added planetary landings, base building, and fleet carriers. The Odyssey expansion (2021) introduced on-foot gameplay, though technical issues marked a troubled launch.