| Egosoft GmbH | |
| Former Name: | Ego Software (1988–2006) |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Video games |
| Founder: | Bernd Lehahn |
| Hq Location City: | Würselen |
| Hq Location Country: | Germany |
| Key People: | Bernd Lehahn (CEO) |
| Products: | X series |
| Num Employees: | 34[1] |
| Num Employees Year: | 2024 |
Egosoft GmbH (formerly Ego Software) is a German video game developer based in Würselen, Germany. The company was founded by Bernd Lehahn in 1988.
Egosoft is best known for its X series of video games,[2] a series of space simulator games noted for combining open-ended gameplay, dynamic market-driven economy and compelling storyline.[3] [4] The series began in 1999 with . Since then, the series has expanded with three sequels and three standalone expansions; the latest being , released 30 November 2018.
Egosoft was founded in Würselen by Bernd Lehahn in 1988, making it the oldest active video game company in Germany.[5] Its first game, Hotel Detective, was released for the Amiga in June 1988.[6]
In 2000, Egosoft planned a multiplayer online game called Online Universe or X Online. This project was intended to be "the next step in the evolution of Egosoft's X universe."[7] Egosoft has since released a number of games, yet has given little indication of the progress of this project. In 2003, Egosoft staff were working on a later version—codenamed X2OL—which Egosoft chief executive officer Bernd Lehahn described as their "long-term goal."[8] [9] There is still no official information on the Online Universe, though there has been speculation that X2 and X3's 2007 uplink feature may be a positive spin-off of the project.[10]
In late 2009, Egosoft announced that Terran Conflict completed the story started in X: Beyond the Frontier, taken by some to mean the end of the franchise. However, in March 2011 they announced on their X-Universe forums that they would be attending FedCon XX in Düsseldorf on 28 April 2011, and would show preview footage of their current project,[11] previously only referred to by the codename TNBT (The Next Big Thing). However, on 20 April 2011, they released a trailer officially announcing X Rebirth, initially slated for a Q4 2011 release. X Rebirth will take place in the X Universe after a major catastrophe (the shutdown of the series' network of jump gates, thus starting a new chapter in the X Universe separate from the original plot line. Rebirth missed its first two proposed release dates (Q4 2011 and 2012) and was eventually released 15 November 2013.[12]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Hotel Detective | Amiga | Euroline | |
| 1990 | Fatal Heritage | Delta Konzept | ||
| R1 R2 | Promotional game for Reemtsma | |||
| 1991 | Aquarius Game | Promotional game for Aquarius | ||
| Pepsi: All Over the World | Promotional game for Pepsi | |||
| 1992 | Light American Spacegame | Promotional game for Philip Morris International | ||
| Come Together (Around the World) | Promotional game for Peter Stuyvesant | |||
| Ugh! | Play Byte | |||
| 1993 | Elefanten! | Promotion Software | Promotional game for World Wide Fund for Nature | |
| Ketchup Connection | Amiga, MS-DOS | Promotional game for Kraft Ketchup | ||
| Flies: Attack on Earth | Rainbow Arts | |||
| 1994 | Balduin: Run for Fun | MS-DOS | Delta Konzept | Promotional game for the Techniker Krankenkasse |
| Abenteuer Europa | Tevox | Promotional game for the Social Democratic Party of Germany | ||
| 1995 | Heiermanns Return | Promotional game for the Sparkasse of Gelsenkirchen | ||
| 1996 | Imperium Romanum | Rainbow Arts | ||
| No Future? | Microsoft Windows | Delta Konzept | Promotional game for the Umweltbundesamt | |
| 1999 | Power Pool | Data Becker | ||
| THQ, Egosoft | Entry in the X video game series | |||
| 2000 | X-Tension | |||
| 2003 | Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows | Deep Silver, Egosoft | ||
| 2005 | ||||
| 2008 | ||||
| 2011 | ||||
| 2013 | X Rebirth | Egosoft | ||
| 2014 | X Rebirth: The Teladi Outpost | DLC for X Rebirth | ||
| 2016 | X Rebirth: Home of Light | |||
| 2017 | X Rebirth: VR Edition | Microsoft Windows | ||
| 2018 | [13] | Linux, Microsoft Windows | Entry in the X video game series | |
| 2020 | X4: Split Vendetta[14] | DLC for X4: Foundations | ||
| 2021 | [15] | Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows | Entry in the X video game series | |
| 2021 | X4: Cradle of Humanity[16] | Linux, Microsoft Windows | DLC for X4: Foundations | |
| 2022 | X4: Tides of Avarice[17] | Linux, Microsoft Windows | ||
| 2023 | X4: Kingdom End | Linux, Microsoft Windows | ||
| 2024 | X4: Timelines | Linux, Microsoft Windows |