Impeller Studios announced In The Black™ as the final title for their PC space combat sim based on realism. A gameplay teaser and interview have been released. It was also announced that ray tracing will be supported and a beta will be playable at Gamescom.

Gameplay teaser and interview released. Ray tracing supported. Beta playable at Gamescom.
SAVANNAH, GA, May 16, 2019 -- Impeller Studios’ Director, Jack Mamais (lead designer of the critically acclaimed Far Cry™ and Crysis™ and director behind the popular MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries™) announced In The Black™ was chosen as the final name for their crowdfunded project “Starfighter Inc.”, which was their working title during development. A new gameplay teaser was also released on the newly launched website, InTheBlack.gg.“Finding a name can sometimes seem almost as hard as developing the game itself, but this one kept popping up and fit our game core exactly.” said Mamais.

Impeller’s Senior Producer, David Wessman ( X-Wing series of Star Wars Space Combat Simulators™, Blood Wake™, and Saints Row™),noted “Starfighter Inc. was a great working title, but that's actually the name of one of the private military companies in the game and we wanted something with a bit more mystery and ambiguity. We were immediately drawn to “In The Black ” because it evokes both the darkness of deep space, and the most desirable financial state for a skilled private military contractor.”

This week NVIDIA released a video interview from the Game Developers Conference with Impeller’s Executive Producer, Edmar Mendizabal, announcing that the team is working closely with NVIDIA on their RTX platform and will be implementing ray tracing in the game (video). Impeller's Art Lead, Remco van den Berg, shared "NVIDIA is an exciting partnership for the studio as their technology allows the art team to match the realism from our gameplay to the actual lighting conditions that exist in space".

Impeller also revealed a new partner, Mercuna (link), to integrate their 3D navigation middleware into the game’s AI system (which means smarter missiles, drones and NPC ships).“I am always looking for synergistic partnerships and our collaboration with the Mercuna team is a perfect example,” said Mendizabal. Mercuna CEO, Ben Lowing, added "I'm a huge fan of space games and it was part of the reason I created Mercuna 3D Navigation. We're excited to be involved with Impeller because they share our passion for the genre and have created a brilliant game which fans are going to love. When we heard about their vision, we just had to be involved."

The exciting news for all backers of the studio’s crowdfunding campaign is that they can expect to play the beta in Q3 2019. A playable will also be available for Gamescom visitors in Cologne, Germany. Additional beta keys will be made available via the game’s website so aspiring pilots should sign up at InTheBlack.gg. The studio is inviting interested streamers and influencers to contact them at [email protected].

About Impeller Studios & In The Black
Impeller Studios, Inc. is a United States based independent studio comprised of developers working from around the globe. The team draws experience from across the board, consisting both of industry veterans and the best new talent from the world’s top game design programs. Impeller’s debut project, In The Black, is a PC hardcore multiplayer online space combat simulator, and takes place in a dystopian future set in the 23rd century, where mankind is ruled by ruthless corporations waging a (mostly) covert shadow war for dominance of the solar system. Hard science drives the design of everything in the game including the ships, the weapons, the environment, the physics, and the special effects. Impeller’s partners for In The Black include Alienware, Logitech, NVIDIA, and Thrustmaster.

For additional information on the project, please see:

• In The Black


• Impeller Studios


• Discord


• Facebook


• Twitter


• Twitch


• Press Deck


• Box cover and poster art


• For additional press materials, preview builds, and interview requests:[email protected]