Egosoft announces that X3: Farnham's Legacy will arrive on Steam on May 4th as a new chapter for X3, the third installment in the space trading and combat series. Created in collaboration with community members, this will be a free expansion for all owners of X3: Albion Prelude on Steam. A look at what to expect can be found in the Reveal Trailer. Here's more, including the explanation of how this was assumed at first to be an April Fool's joke:

Ten years after the release of X3: Albion Prelude, Egosoft is revisiting the X3 universe. X3: Farnham's Legacy is a new chapter in the popular X3 series, created over the past five years by long-time community members, in close cooperation with the Egosoft team. What community members may have thought was an April Fool's joke, actually exists and will be released on May 4th, 2021. With three games released between 2006 and 2011, and over 2 million copies sold, the X3 series remains a fan favourite.

Set in the years after X3: Albion Prelude, as the chaos caused by the gate shutdown really takes hold, X3: Farnham's Legacy starts very differently to previous games in the X3 series. Trapped in an isolated area of space, players will first need to make use of the new exploration features to find their way back to civilisation. Afterwards, they'll be able to use the new diplomacy options to help shape their relationships with the factions they find.

The new features don't end with the storyline, though. There are numerous other improvements, ranging from drone carriers, station-building services and an enhanced player headquarters, to a new ship browser and a hyperlinked encyclopedia. And of course, no new X3 game would be complete without new ships and stations!