There are many genres of games that don't have much of a presence in the modern gaming market, but the lack of a good space opera is particularly troubling for those of us who like to dogfight our way around planets and through asteroid fields. Seamless Entertainment is a developer that wants to bring back the space combat genre with its upcoming game, SOL: Exodus.

We don't have much to go on yet, just a teaser trailer and a logo, but the team includes some high-quality talent who seem to have a deep love for the genre. Chris Stockman is the game's creative director—he also worked on Tachyon: the Fringe. When we talked to him recently, he pointed out that publishers are risk-averse when it comes to genres that don't look like other big, recent hits.

"...Until someone else takes the plunge and has success," studio director Dan Magaha continued. Their hope is to be the "someone else" that proves space combat still has an audience.

Where did space combat games go wrong?

So let's start at the beginning. Why did space combat games fall away from the mainstream? Magaha said the games lost touch with what gamers want to play."I want to be Luke Skywalker flying an X-Wing and taking down the Death Star, not a guy micromanaging an array of sensors and flight controls. I want to be Apollo from BSG, annihilating enemy ships and winning massive battles, not a Ferengi trader banking credits hauling goods from point A to B, that just happens to be in space," he explained.

And this is the time to return to space combat. "Right now we're experiencing a bit of a renaissance for independent game development; there's a confluence of two major forces here: increasing price/performance of development tools that allow you to do a lot more with less, and a variety of paths to market that just didn't exist in the past," Magaha told Ars. "We're certainly not the only ones to take advantage of this; I think you can look at what Adhesive is doing with Hawken, what Notch was able to do with Minecraft; you've got guys like Haunted Temple with Skulls of the Shogun, Mode 7 with Frozen Synapse, and dozens of others I'm remiss in not naming here."

The team stressed that it has created an action game, so we're not going to get bogged down in cut-scenes. But storyline is important, and the developers want to convey the personality of the characters in the world. "In a longer-term context, we've created what we think is a really interesting universe and our hope is to continue to tell stories within that universe for some time to come," Stockman said.

They wouldn't comment on co-op or multiplayer beyond saying that details on both are coming. They also clammed up when I asked about platforms, although we do know that the game will be coming to PC. The game is already enjoying a large amount of buzz on the gaming blogs—maybe more than the thin amount of news deserves. This is even more evidence that gamers want to return to space in their action games.

The marketing materials promise huge capital ships, dogfights, and hordes of enemies. Even better, the game will be set in our solar system, so you'll be flying around recognizable planets instead of nameless starfields in the far reaches of space.

"I have to say, the sheer quantity of e-mails and comments we've received since our announcement went live that basically said 'It's about time!' have really reinforced our own feelings that there's a market for this kind of game," Magaha said.

I have to agree, and as I wrote this story, my mind wandered back to the time I spent with Tachyon, Wing Commander, and X-Wing on the PC. The market for space combat is completely open, and it's theirs to win. Or to remind everyone why these games don't sell.