Elite: Dangerous has officially abandoned the offline mode that was originally promised during its Kickstarter campaign.

“Galaxy, story, missions, have to match, and it does mean the single player has to connect to the server from time to time, but this has the added advantage that everyone can participate in the activities that can happen in the galaxy.” Frontier Developments CEO David Braben, wrote in a newsletter on Friday, in part. “A fully offline experience would be unacceptably limited and static compared to the dynamic, ever unfolding experience we are delivering.”

The game will still feature a solo mode, however it does still need to connect to a server to synchronize the game’s shared galaxy.

The full release for Elite: Dangerous is scheduled for December 16th.

(via Polygon)