GoKawiilLeading up to the release of last year's Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, creator Gareth Damian Martin said they were done creating new Citizen Sleeper video games. Instead, Martin promised to continue the series on the tabletop. It was a fitting plan, given so much of Martin's inspiration for Citizen Sleeper and Citizen Sleeper 2 came from TTRPGs like Blades in the Dark. And they quickly lived up that promise, releasing Spindlejack, a free solo game set on one of the stations players could visit in CS2, a few months after. As a fan of the series, I thought that might all the new Citizen Sleeper Martin had planned for a little while, but today they've announced they're working on an entirely new tabletop game called Citizen Sleeper: Helion Rising.
"Helion Rising is a TTRPG about surviving in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism, resisting corporate power, and building a future, cycle by cycle, together," Martin writes of their new project. "You play as a member of a crew, along with your friends, as you try to make ends meet in a solar system built from the remains of a corporate collapse. You'll take on challenging contracts, try to navigate a path between hostile and friendly factions, and live a life among the stars, full of meaningful struggles, small victories, and moments of human connection."
In short, it sounds like Helion Rising will attempt to make the world of Citizen Sleeper something you can share with your friends. If you've not played the video games, I strongly recommend you do. They tell really compelling stories about finding community and meaningful connections in what might seem like hopeless situations. If you want to see yourself, both games are currently discounted the most they've ever been on Steam and other storefronts.
In either case, Martin has promised to share more information about the project later this year. They're also teasing other Citizen Sleeper spinoffs, though exactly what those might be, they haven't said yet. Last but not least, Martin says on June 7 they'll show off the new video game they've been working since the release of CS2, describing it as "a totally new project in a new world that I have been working on for years." I can't wait.