Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is an upcoming real-time strategy game that aims to capture the epic scale, intensity, and grandeur of the legendary Supreme Commander series. Developed by a small independent studio composed of veteran RTS developers, this ambitious passion project hopes to recapture the magic of those revered classics while bringing new innovations to the RTS genre.

Early previews show enormous promise, with Sanctuary taking the key elements of Supreme Commander’s exhilarating strategic gameplay and evolving them into something fresh and modern. If the final product lives up to expectations, it could be the next evolution of large-scale RTS games. Let’s explore what sets Sanctuary apart.

A Planet-Sized Battlefield

The setting of Sanctuary is a mind-bogglingly massive Dyson Sphere megastructure built by humanity to harness the power of an entire star. This immense globe-enclosing construct allows for unparalleled scale, with battlefields spanning dozens of kilometres across the sphere's artificial surface.

To put this in perspective, maps in Supreme Commander could reach up to 81 square kilometres. Sanctuary’s scale means that even maps of half this size will offer the same gameplay experience. Smaller units will make the same size map appear twice as huge. Players will be able to zoom from an intimate view of individual units to a god-like view of the entire battlefield.

The battlefield will offer distinct strategic considerations for players. Seas can be frozen allowing tanks to drive over and attack previously inaccessible sections of the map. Bridges will span chasms and can be destroyed to prevent their use. Gargantuan game-changing weapons will deform the environment, blocking chokepoints and forcing players to adapt their tactics on the fly.

The sphere is home to over a trillion human lives, divided into various factions vying for control. Tensions between the enhanced post-humanoid Chosen, the disenfranchised masses of the Earth Defence Alliance, and the sphere’s own robotic Guard have erupted into all-out war. Their struggle for dominance takes place across Sanctuary’s mix of high-tech cities, idyllic nature preserves, and war-ravaged wastelands.

This vast and visually varied battlefield meshes well with Sanctuary’s theme of civilization-spanning warfare. Battles will have fronts spanning multiple biomes, testing a player’s ability to adapt strategies and supply chains across vast distances. Manoeuvring between different terrain types will add further complexity.

Three Unique Factions

In the world of Sanctuary: Shattered Sun, you have the option to align with one of three factions vying for control over the Dyson Sphere: the EDA, the Chosen, or the Guard. Each faction employs unique strategies, weaponry, and forces, all united by a common objective – to emerge as the ultimate power within the solar system:

The Earth Defence Alliance is a coalition prioritizing humanity's interests, committed to safeguarding the rights and autonomy of its populace. Emerging in response to enduring corruption, economic disparity, and the imperative for unity, the EDA emerged as the predominant governing force, vehemently countering the Chosen faction. While some view them as domineering zealots, others regard them as humanity's sole beacon of hope.

The EDA prioritizes efficiency over ornate strategies employed by their adversaries. Leveraging vast human populations and abundant resources, their mobilization might be gradual, yet it commands formidable power. Embracing a doctrine of swift and overwhelming impact, anticipate the EDA to obliterate opposition using an array of devastating weaponry, their ruthlessness matched only by their dependability. However, necessity fuels innovation, leading many of their top Sentinels to master guerrilla tactics, skilfully merging stealth technology and robust armour to deliver unexpected blows where adversaries are least prepared.

The Chosen are a society of Post-Humans who have transcended their physical forms to inhabit machines. Perceiving themselves as the next phase in Human evolution, their heightened intellect is harmonized with an impeccable aesthetic sensibility. From the vastness of their super-computer networks, the Chosen orchestrates warfare, leading legions of elegant yet lethal robotic forces.

The Chosen stands as the pinnacle of technological advancement among the three factions, harnessing streamlined designs and personal shielding to swiftly approach and annihilate adversaries with an exotic arsenal of energy weaponry. While their war apparatus boasts specialisation, it also demands substantial investment. A commitment to excellence over sheer quantity necessitates the astute management of fewer units for heightened impact. Within each Sentinel resides the consciousness of an individual from the Chosen; its obliteration equates to the demise of that consciousness. Given their limited numbers, safeguarding these unparalleled field commanders becomes of paramount importance.

The Guard are the custodians of Sanctuary, once its architects, now its sentinels. Their warfare is driven by a singular objective: to quell the rival factions and safeguard the Dyson sphere from further harm. Remodelled and fortified, the Guard stand as an unfeeling and strategic mechanized force, resolute in their determination to preserve their creation through any means necessary.

Unrivalled in their knowledge of Sanctuary, the Guard possess unparalleled intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities, enabling them to meticulously select the optimal time and place to engage their adversaries. While lacking the intricate designs seen in EDA military technology or the advanced shielding employed by the Chosen, the Guard predominantly rely on vast numbers of near-disposable drone vehicles, supplemented by a smaller contingent of unorthodox specialized units and potent Experimental assets. The most proficient Guard Sentinels adeptly maintain ceaseless pressure on their foes, biding their time until their opponents weaken, ultimately delivering the decisive, concluding strike.

Simulation-Driven Large Scale Combat

Unlike many RTS games where combat is resolved abstractly with hit point mechanics, Sanctuary features real-time ballistic and beam weapon simulations. Projectiles visibly fly across the battlefield and can be dodged. Direct hits matter more than just steadily depleting hit points. This gives battles a more immersive and authentic feel.

The developers promise this will lead to chaotic and intense clashes as thousands of projectiles crisscross the battlefield. Expert players will need to master movement and positioning to avoid devastating barrages. Individual unit survivability will rely heavily on properly using cover and line of sight, allowing for ambushes and flanking manoeuvres during the heat of battle.

When combined with thousands of units engaged in war across fronts separated by kilometres, players will need to keep a vigilant eye on multiple skirmishes happening across the sphere. Victory goes to those who can best manage their forces across a truly grand scale.

Strategic Scale Meets Tactical Gameplay

Players will be able to field armies of up to 10000 units on ground, air, and naval* theatres. For perspective, even at 200-unit armies, the scope of the epic clashes goes beyond what you see in most games. Units range from hulking experimental war machines to swarms of agile fighters. The game is designed around controlling such huge armies, with UI and controls optimized for commanding groups of units.

At the same time, individual units have their own unique attributes and abilities. Managing these tactical factors across a grand strategic battlefield presents a novel twist on traditional RTS gameplay. Do you mass an unstoppable army of brute force? Or use a specialized strike team for surgical precision strikes? Sanctuary’s scale allows for many creative paths to victory.

The developers have also emphasized smarter unit AI that requires less micromanagement compared to older RTS games. Your troops will manoeuvre and follow orders more intelligently, allowing you to focus on high-level strategy. But direct control is still crucial for utilizing each unit’s potential to the fullest. Finding the right balance of command and control presents yet another strategic choice.

Economy Drives Decision Making

An flow-based economic system aims to provide strategic depth beyond just base building and unit queues. Players must juggle income and expenses in real-time, with no arbitrary resource caps. Going all out for a quick massive army could leave you bankrupt and defenceless against a patient, fortified foe playing the long game. Intelligent expansion and investment will be required for victory.

The economy reacts dynamically to decisions, so no two matches will play out the same. For example, rapid investment in infrastructure could kick off an economic boom. Or reckless spending could trigger a recession making unit production tank. This system will test a player's flexibility in responding to an ever-changing battlefield. Economic choices will be just as important as unit tactics.

Between managing economies, battles, resource networks, and production across a planet-sized battlefield, Sanctuary will challenge players with the ultimate RTS juggle. Do you have the multitasking skills and strategic thinking to emerge victorious in such a grand undertaking? Sanctuary aims to find out.

Story-Driven Single Player Campaign*

For those who enjoy their RTS with an engaging campaign and storyline, Sanctuary aims to deliver. The initial release will ship with a robust story-focused single player mode to go alongside its multiplayer. Players can experience the intricate fiction of the Dyson Sphere through immersive missions unlocked in branching paths.

The developers promise an epic tale filled with plot twists, tense diplomacy, grand battles, and colourful characters. Co-op support will also allow playing through the campaign cooperatively with friends, letting you conquer Sanctuary together.

The campaign aims to showcase the diverse abilities of the sphere's factions. Certain missions will let you take command of the Chosen, EDA, or Guard to highlight their contrasting strengths and playstyles. Deeper story content will also unveil more of the sphere’s hidden secrets and centuries-long history that led to open war.

Ambitious Post-Launch Plans

While the initial release promises hundreds of hours of RTS content, the dev team has even more ambitious plans post-launch. Their commitment shows this is a true passion project that aims to build the next great RTS franchise.

Planned features include multi-player seasons, ranked 1v1 ladders, team games, tournaments with prize pools, regular balance adjustments based on community feedback, and years of ongoing refinement and improvements.

The team wants to support Sanctuary so that keeps it evolving and expanding for the foreseeable future. There will be mod and map support allowing the game community to continuously add new content such as maps, factions, campaigns, and modes in response to what the player base enjoys most. This would provide near endless replayability and help Sanctuary’s multiplayer thrive for years past launch.

Overall the team seems laser focused on releasing not just a great RTS, but also on post-launch support to keep it a thriving destination for RTS players. If they can fulfil this vision, Sanctuary could become the next long-term staple and social hub for the RTS community.

Built From a Legacy of Classics

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is the creation of a small but talented development team composed of veteran RTS designers and modders who were directly inspired by playing Supreme Commander, Total Annihilation, and other iconic strategy titles. They set out to capture the best aspects of these beloved games while modernizing the genre with Sanctuary’s fresh features and innovations.

Several developers’ work has been heavily inspired by Total Annihilation which was released back in 1997. Their experience with one of the first 3D large-scale RTS games equipped them well to now push boundaries even further with Sanctuary. The team and developers have been in fact endorsed and complimented directly by Chris Taylor, the legendary RTS visionary behind Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander. This makes the team uniquely suited to building the spiritual successor that Sanctuary aims to be.

Make no mistake though, Sanctuary is not just imitating past games, but rather using their legacy as a foundation to build something new. This is not a sequel or remaster, but instead an evolution that takes the greatest aspects of its influencers and transforms them into a truly modern RTS perfectly suited to current gaming landscape.

With a jaw-dropping spherical world, unique gameplay mechanics, and revamped economics, Sanctuary is shaping up to be a one-of-a-kind strategy experience. Its shattered factions await your guidance. Which will you lead to victory? Keep an eye on this ambitious and promising game as it marches towards launch and carves out its own place in RTS history. The next evolution of the genre could soon be here.

System Requirements (TBC)


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*dependent upon a successful Kickstarter campaign – coming soon.

Wishlist Sanctuary Shattered Sun on Steam:


Join the official Discord:

Get ready for the triumphant return of Sanctuary Shattered Sun! Following its successful debut at PAX Aus last year, this highly anticipated game is making waves once again at PAX East 2024. Fans and newcomers alike will have the exclusive opportunity to experience an updated and expanded demo, offering a deeper dive into the captivating world that captured hearts at its previous showcase.

For those unfamiliar with Sanctuary Shattered Sun, know that every beam, missile, and projectile engages in a fully simulated combat experience, unfolding dynamically in real-time. Bid farewell to pre-programmed animations; brace yourself for visceral, high-stakes warfare, where each shot carries weight and consequences.

The game offers an unprecedented level of control and an epic scale that transcends conventional strategy. Why settle for commanding a squad when you can wield a formidable army? Marshal thousands of units across vast battlefields that sprawl for kilometers, with your war machines looming large over the battlefield. Assert dominance over the entire landscape. This is not just strategic gameplay; this is warfare on a colossal scale, where the stakes are as immense as the battles themselves.

Returning to the gaming scene at PAX East 2024, Sanctuary Shattered Sun promises an enhanced and polished experience for players. The demo, first introduced at PAX Aus, has undergone refinements. Attendees can look forward to an even more immersive encounter with the game's innovative gameplay, breathtaking visuals, and the compelling narrative that sets it apart.

One of the key attractions at PAX East will be the chance to engage with the passionate developers behind Sanctuary Shattered Sun. The team is eager to share their journey, discuss the game's evolution since its last appearance, and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the development process. Whether you're a seasoned fan or a newcomer, this is an excellent opportunity to connect with the creative minds shaping Sanctuary: Shattered Sun.

Following the buzz at PAX East 2024, Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is gearing up for its Kickstarter campaign. Fans will have the chance to support the project, unlock exclusive rewards, and contribute to the game's continued growth. It's a momentous opportunity for players to become part of the Sanctuary: Shattered Sun community, helping to shape the game's destiny and ensure its success.

PAX East 2024 runs from Thu, 21 Mar 2024 – Sun, 24 Mar 2024. Sign up to be one of the first to play Sanctuary: Shattered Sun.

The highly anticipated title Sanctuary: Shattered Sun has shot up the ranks on Steam's wishlist, securing a place among the top 400 most wished-for games on the platform. Developed by Enhearten Media, this achievement underscores the immense excitement and anticipation surrounding the forthcoming release.

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun promises to be a groundbreaking addition to the world of gaming, featuring three unique factions, ground-shattering super weapon, a planet-sized battlefield and strategic zoom.

Gamers from all over the world have taken to Steam's wishlist feature to express their excitement for the game. Sanctuary: Shattered Sun has captured the imagination of RTS fans the world over.


Steam, a popular digital distribution platform for video games, serves as a barometer of a game's popularity and anticipation. A spot in the top 400 wishlisted games is a significant achievement for any title and indicates that Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is on the radar of a vast number of gamers.

The development team is reportedly working tirelessly to ensure that Sanctuary: Shattered Sun lives up to the hype and delivers a gaming experience that will be remembered for years to come.

Join the growing number of people supporting Sanctuary: Shattered Sun by adding the game to your wishlist here: Sanctuary: Shattered Sun on Steam and Join the Sanctuary Discord Server!

On Friday I had the opportunity to sit down the Nine2 and Special_Bread to discuss what happened when Sanctuary: Shattered Sun took a trip to PAX AUS ’23. The resulting conversation, as happens when talking to two people passionate about their product, took many tangents, many wrong turns, lots of diversions and ultimately came down to what you see in the following article.

[TL;DR summary: PAX was incredible… Kickstarter possible before July 2024… Beta to Patreon Supporters first… Demo with Kickstarter will be a mini-campaign… Early Access on Steam a year after Kickstarter… Enhearten Media roadmap features fourteen games… Possibly working on another title in a few months… Investors welcome…]

Al: Tell me about the PAX experience.

Nine2: PAX was incredible. The feedback for Sanctuary was overwhelmingly great! People loved it. For those aware of Supcom (Supreme Commander) they instantly recognised the inspiration behind Sanctuary. Those unaware of Supcom were blown away by the idea behind strategic zoom. We’re talking ‘jaws on the floor’ levels of impressed. They were shown the demo and bases being blown up. When they saw the fracturing of the sphere – first the base is blown up, and then the ground cracks and everything falls into the sun, and then the sunlight streams through – it was just awesome to see the look on peoples faces. They were like, “Oh, My God!” People loved the game.

I went through how the superweapons, the sphere crackers, could be used to create chokepoints, how they could be used defensively to deny access to your base. There are so many different uses for these awesome weapons beyond just blowing things up.

I explained the backstory, the Dyson Sphere, the setting, the factions. People saw this was an entire world that was being built here and the stories which could be set in this world. You could have an adventure game set in the same universe. People were really interested in exploring this.

I showed people the freezing effect. It’s less visually spectacular but far more strategic in how it is used. We’ll have these strategic zones – no one has done that in RTS games before. Sure, there are maybe occasions where you can capture a supply depot or get extra money, but to be able to control whether or not there is a navy. That’s never been done before. So if you control the atmosphere generator you can decide to freeze the ocean and navy cannot be used anymore. All the ships just become trapped. Tanks can roll right across.

One thing that was clear is that people just want an RTS game. There’s a real market out there for a new RTS.

Al: With all this interest did you see an uptick in signups for the Kickstarter?

Nine2: We got a huge amount of email sign ups for Kickstarter. Development is in good shape but not yet good enough for the Kickstarter. There were lots of signups. We’ll message people when it’s available.

Al: When do you think the Kickstarter will launch?

Nine2: We’re not sure of when the Kickstarter will be released. We weren’t sure about putting the game out on Steam when we did. There were lots of conversations about whether we should do that. We don’t want to launch the Kickstarter too soon. We want to make sure we have something that people will love so we’re working on a minor campaign for people to play through. We don’t just want to say, “here’s multiplayer, go have fun”, we want to give people an experience they will enjoy so a single player mission will be the way forward.

Bread: We don’t want to launch too soon but we don’t want to leave it too late either. You want to make sure you have enough time from when the Kickstarter happens to that you can spend that money on the game. We are looking at Q1 or Q2 2024 for Kickstarter. Before July, before the summer. Don’t hold us to that as things might change but that is what we are looking at right now.

Al: I want to talk more about the freeze effect. What happens when the atmosphere generator is captured and sea unfrozen. What happens to the tanks crossing at the moment?

Nine2: Well, hover tanks will be okay and amphibious tanks might be, but those which are not supposed to be able to cross the water. Sure, they’ll be destroyed.

Al: What about going in the other direction? So you have the sea, which can be frozen, what about if the temperature is dialled up and all the water evaporates?

Nine2: We actually thought about that before. There was talk about that sort of stuff but no commitment. I personally think that it is not a good move because it was too many things for a player to think about however freeze on or off, it has a lot going on but a player can understand that. But were were talking about there could be five stages, you could lower the water level and now there’s land bridges and all sorts of stuff.

We’re going to look at that stuff later and that’s our general philosophy with everything. We don’t really make black and white decisions on anything. We’re just going to look at it, once we start playing it. Keep in mind these are stretch goals, on Kickstarter. We don’t have funding to do shatter or freeze at this time. There is no point in us spending a long time designing those features. We just need to make sure that the code we are running today will be compatible with those things.

Al: One of the things that we first ever talked about was Kickstarter and that it was supposed to happen in December last year. You said it was put off because you received funding which meant you didn’t need to go to Kickstarter just yet. What’s the situation now?

Nine2: There’s always this balance. We just need the demo to be good enough to launch Kickstarter. So we’re eyeing it everyday saying, “are we at that point today?” If we got some more money we might be able to wait a bit longer. It’s a balancing act, right? It’s something we need to keep our eyes on all the time, which is why we can’t commit to a date.

Bread: Scheduling is hard, right? You never know how long something is going to take. It always takes longer than you think. What goes on in my head with Kickstarter dates is, “is an extra month going to make it extra better?” And at some point the answer is going to be “no” and then we’ll release it. But right now the answer is yes. If we work on it an extra month it will be better when it finally launches.

Nine2: The longer you leave it the better it looks and the more people are likely to invest because they believe in you more.

Bread: There is also the thing where if you release it too close to the final game people will ask, well what’s the money for really? You need at least six months between Kickstarter and release of the game.

Al: After Kickstarter would you be looking at Early Access on Steam?

Nine2: It all depends on funding and stuff, but yes! Early Access has other advantages beside funding because you can get feedback from your core players.

Bread: With Early Access you get to launch the game twice. When you launch for Early Access you got a load of Steam visibility and when you launch for real you get more Steam visibility. It’s a big thing. Early Access is almost like a soft release.

Al: Is that something which is on the timeline?

Nine2: We think that a year after the Kickstarter we’ll have enough to do the Early Access. There will be enough playable fun content there to keep people interested and we will be delivering features over time to make it better.

Al: Well, I’ll be signing up, so you have at least one.

Nine2: We’ve had 15,000 people sign up to say they’re interested in the beta. So that’s the other thing we’re talking about doing soon is doing some small beta tests. When we launch the beta we are thinking of making it available first to Patreon supporters. These are the people who have backed the game. They have believed in what we are doing and put their money into Sanctuary. We want to reward them for that. So it will probably be Patreon which gets the beta first.

We had a big chat about the demo today. You can’t just throw it to the masses and have 100,000 people testing it for the first time. That could work out very badly. There might be major problems.

Bread: I guarantee there will be major problems. You can’t release a beta without bugs.

Nine2: Have faith!

Bread: Never!

Al: okay, tell me more about the whole PAX experience.

Nine2: So there was lots of colourful characters there. Lots of people in cosplay. Then you have all the fans walking around and checking out stuff. Then you have the business people. We had a marketing guy. There was a guy who can help us make t-shirts. We have composers who want to make music for us. Some other game creators. Any one who is connected to an RTS game came to visit. The only one I missed was the guy from Tempest Rising. He came but I was busy. That was disappointing. We talked to people from Rusted Warfare, Zero-K. The guy who runs Zero-K. That was interesting. We got along great. We are creating bridges.

Honestly, I’m kinda tempted to start a second project with some of these guys. I can see how we can help each other. I’m thinking of something sort of side-ways to the RTS space, like a Tower Defence game as a side project.

Al: You’re forbidden until Sanctuary is complete!

Nine2: It’s just we would need a separate source of money. We have publishers who want to work with us. We have a whole bunch of code that we could just copy and paste. And although Sanctuary is still ages away we’ve got all the things to build a kick-arse Tower Defence game.

It turns out there’s lots of games we could build with our engine. Just for fun I spent six hours today making an action game in our engine where you’re mech and you left click to shoot and right click shoots a missile and you can dash and run and it’s all in our engine. There are all these tanks trying to shoot at you and there’s this whole RTS base and they’re all trying to hunt you down and kill you. You’re just one guy and you’re just zapping around messing people up and it’s kinda hell fun. And it really shows you can do a load of stuff. We have big ideas.

Did you see the Industrial Annihilation game? They just completely validated an idea we had as we had been talking to a publisher about repurposing our engine to make a ‘Factorio’ style game in our engine. Both Factorio and Sanctuary are base building and combat. Sanctuary is 10% base building and 90% combat. We wanted to flip that on its head and it would be 90% base building. We’ve talked to publishers about it and they’re interested but the catch is they want a demo and we would have to take time out of Sanctuary to do that so we’re not doing that right now, but maybe in a couple of months we’ll have time to do that.

You were asking about other RTS devs. So they might say they are wanting to have a specific feature and we say, “well we have that”, we can just kinda help each other. The other thing is cross promotion. We have 15,000 people on our mailing list alone. When you factor in social media we probably have 25,000 people. We can send out to them, “hey go check out Zero-K, for example” and when we go to Kickstarter they can help us out in return. That’s how us little guys can help each other. For example, there was a guy working on a Command and Conquer mod. He has 13,000 people on Discord. All 13,000 are RTS fans. So on launch day we can drive 50,000 people to our page and get some momentum, and then you start getting publicity from the media.

This is the kind of stuff we run through our potential investors. Our business is not just Sanctuary, it is predominantly Sanctuary but we keep our eye out for other opportunities and we actually have heaps of opportunities. There are games we could carve out in 8 months with the code we have so we could get the money early. And we’re actually trying to do that at the moment. We’re trying to get money from investors who share in our vision so that we can hire more people to work on other products. Sanctuary would keep ticking along ands we would spin off a little mini-team who would take our code base, make changes and get a title out within a year. We would just have to work out which of our awesome ideas to use first.

We’d look better to investors as well, we would be increasing out intellectual property. We would be able to share innovations across the projects.

One more thing I want to say about the other opportunities we have, and what our investment pitch really is. We have this roadmap of fourteen titles we want to put out. If you look at a game like Sanctuary, it can make forty million dollars. You can then copy and paste it and make another RTS that targets a slightly different audience, like a Command and Conquer or a StarCraft, that can make forty million dollars as well, and then you get all DLCs and stuff. But we also have this idea of smaller games. Other strategy games, not RTS, but all strategy games. They would be like smaller indie kind of affairs. Some of those could do quite well. Factorio is the holy unicorn. It was made by three people and made two hundred million dollars. That’s pretty crazy and that’s such a cool industry to be a part of because in what other industry can you do that? Where three guys can make two hundred mil? It’s just absolutely amazing. We’re really excited to be here. As long as we remain funded.

Bread: Solvent. As long as we remain solvent!

Nine2: We’ll be able to do it again, and again, and again. So, you know, it’s looking good.

The Enhearten Media development team has been working their magic behind the scenes to bring fresh, exciting content to Sanctuary: Shattered Sun. Our game will whisk you away to a variety of captivating environments, and we're thrilled to share with you our latest delight: the winter biomes!

Imagine a world covered in pristine, glistening snow. But hold onto your mittens, because pretty soon, this snowy paradise will be transformed into a battleground. The serene white canvas will bear the scars of epic battles, with enemy wrecks dotting the landscape and explosions turning snow into billowing clouds of steam. It's a sight to behold—bleak, beautiful, and definitely not your typical winter wonderland!

For all the latest updates and news, don't forget to follow us on Twitter. We can't wait to share more of the exciting world of Sanctuary: Shattered Sun with you!

We've got an awesome competition for you: Design a cool smartphone wallpaper for Sanctuary: Shattered Sun!

It's your chance to show off your artistic skills by making official wallpapers for Sanctuary: Shattered Sun. These awesome creations may be featured on all the Sanctuary websites and social media pages, so people can download them and make their mobile devices look amazing.

The rules are super simple:

• Create your wallpaper following the provided template.
• Let your imagination run wild!

We’ve made some incredible resources available to help you in creating the perfect wallpaper:

Incredible new unit icons: Sanctuary Unit Icons Pack
Beautiful new faction icons: Sanctuary Faction Icons Pack
The Sanctuary: Shattered Sun logo and text: Sanctuary Shattered Sun Logo
The Sanctuary 'Lato' font: Sanctuary 'Lato' Font
The Sanctuary: Shattered Sun media gallery: Media | Sanctuary

Once you're happy with your creation, just hop on over to the competition section and start a new thread. Our team of judges will pick the top five entries, and then it's up to the public to vote for their favourites.

The winners may have their awesome wallpapers featured on the official Sanctuary website and all our social media channels. Plus, they'll score an exclusive invite to a private voice-chat session on Discord with some of the Sanctuary developers. That's your chance to ask all those burning questions you've been itching to ask! And as a cherry on top, they'll also receive a cool 3D printed Sanctuary: Shattered Sun unit model that was previously only available to folks at PAX Aus 2023.

No need to wait! The contest kicks off on Sunday, October 1, 2023, and you've got a week to send in your entries. After that, the judges will do their thing, and public voting starts on Sunday, October 15. We'll announce the winner on Halloween, so get those creative juices flowing!

As reported last week, Sanctuary: Shattered Sun will be at PAX Aus 2023. The dev team have been hard at work preparing for this event and they have an incredible opportunity for those excited about Sanctuary.

At PAX Aus 2023 you will be able to see Sanctuary: Shattered Sun first hand and be some of the first people on the planet to play the demo.

That's right, there will be a playable demo of Sanctuary: Shattered Sun available at PAX Aus 2023. Enhearten Media (the company behind Sanctuary) Director Nine2 said:

Hey guys we are headed to PAX to showcase Sanctuary, in Melbourne from Oct 6 - 8.
PAX is the biggest gaming convention in the southern hemisphere with about 110k people attending.

We will have The Demo there, so you will be able to see Sanctuary with your own eyes and PLAY IT!
I will be attending with Nate (programmer) and Avitus (Chosen modeller) - to answer all of your questions.

So if you are in Melbourne, pop along, don't be shy, come and say hi and tell us who you are!

Click to expand...

I never thought I'd feel jealous of Australia. I am now!

Welcome to ShatteredSunRTS.com - the vibrant hub of the NOW OFFICIAL community for the in-development real time strategy game, Sanctuary: Shattered Sun. My name is Al and I’m the community manager for all things Sanctuary. At ShatteredSunRTS.com will keep track of progress and bring you all of the latest news and developments as they happen.


About Sanctuary: Shattered Sun:

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is more than just a game; it's an immersive experience that transports players to a realm where strategy, innovation, and sheer determination collide. Developed with an unwavering commitment to honouring the legacy of Supreme Commander, Sanctuary: Shattered Sun takes the genre to new heights. From awe-inspiring units to meticulously crafted environments, every aspect of the game is designed to captivate your senses and challenge your strategic prowess. As the spiritual successor to the iconic game Supreme Commander, we will embark on a thrilling journey to explore new frontiers in real-time strategy gaming.

Our Vibrant Community:

ShatteredSunRTS.com isn't just a website; it's a thriving community of players, enthusiasts, and visionaries who share an insatiable appetite for strategic excellence. Here, you'll find a haven for discussing tactics, sharing insights, and connecting with fellow gamers who understand the unique allure of real-time strategy. Whether you're a seasoned commander with countless battles under your belt or a newcomer eager to learn the ropes, our community welcomes you with open arms.

What We Offer:

• News and Updates: Stay in the loop with the latest developments, patches, and updates related to Sanctuary: Shattered Sun. Our dedicated team ensures you're always up-to-date with the evolving landscape of the game.
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In a move which Unity Create president Marc Whitten states is to "make more money", the video game software development company has announced plan pricing and packaging updates.

Starting in January 2024, Unity will introduce a new cost called the "Unity Runtime Fee." This fee is based on the number of users who install games created using Unity as their game engine.

The fee applies once certain revenue and installation milestones are reached, depending on your subscription plan:

• Unity Personal and Unity Plus users will start paying the fee once a project reaches $200,000 in revenue over 12 months and has 200,000 total installs.
• Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise users have a higher threshold: the fee applies when a project earns $1 million in revenue over the same 12-month period and reaches 1 million installs.

The fees will be charged on a monthly basis, and the amount per install varies based on your license:

• Unity Personal and Plus users pay a fixed fee of 20 cents per install.
• Unity Pro users start at 15 cents per install and can go as low as 0.02 cents per install as installations increase.
• Unity Enterprise users start at 12.5 cents per install and can go as low as 0.01 cents per install as installations increase.

The decision to move from a flat fee to an install-based fee has raised some eyebrows in the game development community. Especially as at first glance the decision looks to penalise the smaller Personal or Plus customers over the more expensive Pro and Enterprise subscribers.

gamedeveloper.com reports:

In Unity's announcement, the company attributed the fee to the ongoing development of Unity Runtime—the executable that players download with every game and allows games made in Unity to "work at scale."

Unity has not previously charged developers for any services related to Unity Runtime. Its various licensing plans hawk the capabilities of the Unity editor and offer a number of services for live service games including DevOps, monetization, and player analytics.

Whitten explained that maintaining the Unity Runtime executable is an active effort. Even after a game ships, Unity Runtime needs to be frequently updated to operate on platforms that are being constantly updated. "It's quite expensive," he said, adding that the fee was designed to charge developers who have found "scaled success" with their games while giving smaller studios enough time to build their audience before paying additional costs.

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How will this impact the development of Sanctuary: Shattered Sun? We have reached out to the developers for comment and will update once a response has been received; but one user on the official Discord had a single comment:



Yet this dedicated Sanctuary: Shattered Sun enthusiast is not yet willing to see everything in a negative light. More information will be made available once we have it.

PAX Aus 2023, running from 6 - 8 October at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre will give the folks down under a first-hand look at Sanctuary: Shattered Sun.

PAX Australia is the largest gaming event in the southern hemisphere with 80,000 people attending the event last year. That's 79,999* potential new devotees to our favourite in development RTS game.

Keep your eyes peeled for more information on what to expect at PAX Aus 2023.

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* @nine2 will be there and he's already sold his soul to the Sphere