Silica: Everything We Know

DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive has announced a brand new real-time strategy shooter called Silica, which will be heading to PC via Steam in the near future. After this, the hybrid will remain in early access for upwards of a year, during which the studio will be implementing various hotfixes and updates ahead of its full launch.

So, what do we actually know about the upcoming RTS title, other than the fact it's on the near horizon and in Steam's unavoidable scope? Well, a fair amount, thanks to Bohemia Interactive going all out on the first batch of details earlier this week. But for the sake of keeping things to the point, here's everything you need to know. Silica: what is it, and how will it look to one-up DayZ?

What Is Silica?

Silica is an upcoming real-time strategy and first-person shooter hybrid by Bohemia Interactive. The game, which will serve as the first in the studio's Bohemia Incubator program—a scheme that aims to “help cultivate the indie game dev scene primarily in the Czech Republic”—will conceive a two-for-one single-player and multiplayer experience for PC.

So, what is this ambitious hybrid, and how will it differ from other titles of its kind? Well, going by what's already on display, Silica will seemingly adopt two different play styles — a real-time strategy one that allows players to manage an army from a top-down perspective, and a first-person shooter one, which essentially lets players assume control of a soldier and play on the frontline. In addition to this, players can also choose to side with an alien species—an army of “hive-mind insect-like creatures” that must stop the humans from stealing a rare resource known as the Silican Crystal.

In the words of Bohemia Interactive: “Silica is a crossover of FPS and RTS where up to 3 factions battle for control over the planet of Baltarus. Lead from above as commander, or experience the action first-hand, either alone, or with friends. Join one of two human armies, or hunt them down as the territorial aliens.”

Story

Silica sets its stage around the confines of Baltarus, a hostile planet that houses two warring factions — the humans, and a hive-mind alien species. In a bid to control the monopoly and dominate its resources, both factions work to overwhelm the opposing armies, either through colossal bases, or with footsoldiers, vehicles, and firepower alone.

Going by the announcement trailer that was posted earlier this week, the planet of Silica will house a rare crystal—an elemental shard that supposedly has the ability to “power our world for generations.” Aside from that, though, we don't know much more about it. Whatever the case, there appears to be a lot more to the conflict than what meets the eye. Here's hoping, then, that Bohemia Interactive will shed a little more light on the subject in the near future.

Gameplay

There'll be three roles to play as: the commander, a figurehead who deploys and instructs the ground troops from a top-down perspective; the footsoldier, who works on the frontline against the opposing factions; and the alien, a hive-mind creature that works to overwhelm the human armies.

“Not limited to merely foot-based soldiers, you can also take control of any available vehicles, including the colossal Harvester, the speedy Light Quad, or the insidious Siege Tank, just to name a few,” the description elaborates. “Deploy Harvesters to silica crystal fields, hiding the valuable resources you're after. Construct and place immense structures to produce and dispatch units that will dominate the battlefield.”

Silica will feature three game modes: Strategy, the flagship mode that will put players in a “three-way conflict between factions”; Prospector, which will serve as the game's tutorial and allow players to explore and learn the fundamentals; and Arena, which will act as a winner-takes-all free-for-all. According to Bohemia Interactive, players will have the chance to go in either solo, or in a traditional multiplayer scenario. So, rest assured that there will in fact be a single-player option.

Development

According to Bohemia Interactive, Silica will serve as the first fully realized game in the studio's independent program, Bohemia Incubator. The program, which aims to bring local studios together by way of offering valuable publishing tools and resources, will begin in Czech Republic, and in turn, broaden its horizons and offer its services elsewhere.

“We are transforming the existing Bohemia Incubator, which has so far served as a platform for our internal projects to investigate interesting concepts, implement new technologies, and develop games outside our main game series,” Marek Spanel, CEO of Bohemia Interactive said in a press release. “But now, in its new form, we are also opening Bohemia Incubator to third-party developers who are working on interesting game projects but lack the necessary publishing and financial resources.”

Trailer

Caught your eye? If so, then you're in luck, as Bohemia Interactive did actually release a preview of the game earlier this week. And while it didn't quite touch base on the gameplay side of things, it did showcase the game's primary setting, as well as its units and overall premise. Need we say more? You can see it for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Silica will be coming to PC via Steam “soon”, after which it will remain in its early access phase for the duration of 2023. It hasn't been said yet whether or not it'll shape up for a console release, though given the game's current alpha status, such announcements aren't likely to be made just yet.

Again, it's early days, so any signs of special editions for Silica have yet to find their way into the light. This could very well change, however, as developers tend to summon them in the build-up to the official launch. For now, though, the most we can do is add it to our wishlists over on Steam.

For more information on the Silica launch, you can follow the official social feed here. If anything changes ahead of its release, we'll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Silica when it drops in early access? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.