Satisfactory is getting its first paid expansion, and it’s taking the factory underground. Coffee Stain Studios announced Core Values today during Coffee Stain Publishing’s Big Break Showcase, describing it as a major expansion that sends players into the crust of MASSAGE-2(A-B)b, where they’ll build an underground factory network with new resources, new production lines, and new buildings while learning more about the world the deeper they go. The announcement trailer also promises a new narrative, new biomes, and new creatures, including what Coffee Stain calls a friendly-looking feline. There’s no release date or price yet, though the Steam page is already up, and Coffee Stain says the base game will keep getting regular updates on all platforms while Core Values is in development.
Satisfactory left Early Access in September 2024 after more than five years, went on to win PC Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards that November, and arrived on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S last November. Core Values is the first time Coffee Stain has charged for additional content, as every update through Early Access and after 1.0 has been free.
We’ve logged over 400 hours in Satisfactory over the years, and in my review of 1.0, I called it one of the best of its kind, and probably the best in the genre if you want a first-person experience. My biggest criticism was that it overstays its welcome if you want to roll credits, since the final Space Elevator phase felt more like a tedious grind than a spark for creativity, and it took us over 157 hours to complete every objective. By the time we put together our favorite games of 2024, it felt like a game we wouldn’t ever revisit—until today’s announcement.
