{"rewrite":{"id":"r_f0ceb274e25b59b44028bdd0","clusterId":"c_d3502e54ef5f17191265a8ec","slug":"angels-fall-first-dev-talks-10-year-early-access-and-irc-era-development","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Angels Fall First Dev Talks 10-Year Early Access and IRC-Era Development","summary":"Strangely Interactive founder Josh Grafton discussed the SF space war game Angels Fall First in a Game Spark interview. The game released for PC on July 12 after about 10 years in Early Access. Grafton described its blend of large ship battles, FPS combat, and boarding actions, and noted the team communicated via IRC throughout development.","whyItMatters":"The interview highlights how a modder team built a large-scale space war game over a decade without voice chat, and how the final release was shaped by that unusual process.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eAngels Fall First, out for PC on July 12, fuses dogfights, infantry combat, and boarding actions into one match-based package. Developer Josh Grafton told Game Spark the goal was to evolve Battlefield-style games into an SF setting where players join fleet battles while also running around with a gun.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrafton said the team of modders, scattered worldwide, communicated entirely through IRC during development because Discord and voice chat were not widespread in the 2010s. He added that no one heard each other\u0026#39;s voice until later, when they began meeting face-to-face and talking daily on Discord.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe game does not support Japanese as of writing and is priced at 1,780 yen.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Angels Fall First dev Josh Grafton talks 10-year Early Access, IRC-era dev without voice chat, and the dream of Battlefield-style space battles. Out now on PC.","twitterPost":"Angels Fall First dev Josh Grafton on 10-year Early Access, IRC-only comms, and making a Battlefield-style space war game. Out now on PC.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Strangely Interactive's Josh Grafton discussed Angels Fall First in a new interview, covering its decade-long Early Access, IRC-based development, and the game's blend of space and infantry combat.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/27/171375.html\",\"title\":\"「A work that pushed the 'art' of games one step further」SF space war game 'Angels Fall First' [Developer Interview]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4667,"outputTokens":534,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788015257,"createdAt":"2026-08-29T14:46:20.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-29T14:46:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-29T14:46:20.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_d3502e54ef5f17191265a8ec","canonicalTitle":"「ゲームという「芸術」をさらに一歩先へと押し進めた作品として評価してもらえたと思っている」SF宇宙戦争ゲーム『Angels Fall First』【開発者インタビュー】","representativeArticleId":"a_477bf341021c650d86731887","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Angels Fall First\"],\"studios\":[\"Strangely Interactive\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-27T08:45:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-27T08:45:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-29T14:46:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/08/27/171375.html","title":"「ゲームという「芸術」をさらに一歩先へと押し進めた作品として評価してもらえたと思っている」SF宇宙戦争ゲーム『Angels Fall First』【開発者インタビュー】"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Angels Fall First"],"studios":["Strangely Interactive"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}