Star Control is back—or at least it will be imminently. Next month, Stardock Entertainment will begin a beta test of Star Control: Origins, a space-exploration adventure game that the company’s CEO, Brad Wardell, hopes will be a true successor to fan favorite Star Control II. The beta will include a ship-creator tool and playable super melee, 1v1 PvP mode. The beta coincides with the 25th anniversary of Star Control II.

Originally, Star Control: Origins was slated for release at this time, but it has been pushed back to next year. Stardock CEO Brad Wardell says the game has been delayed in part because its development team decided to implement robust, in-game creation tools that will allow players to create ships, planets, structures, stories, and more—Minecraft-style—then share them on the Steam Workshop.

I spoke at length with Wardell about the game, his personal history with Star Control, these newly revealed features, and more. And we have new art, new screenshots, and a video showing the game’s current state of development.