Turn-based “strategic Space Opera” Endless Space 2 is just about to get its next expansion, developer Amplitude has revealed in a dev blog post and with a prologue trailer on YouTube. Called Awakening, the expansion will centre on two of the 4X game’s biggest players – the Academy and its fearsome leader, Isyander Shumèd – and see you engage with them on a whole new level. The blog post details some of what you can expect to see play out in Awakening. Isyander and the Academy will “take centre stage”, and “control the Academy home system like a major empire and expand by colonising new systems.” The post warns that Isyander is not to be underestimated: just because he “preferred not interfering with your plans in the past does not mean that the Academy is defenseless, protecting their territory and interests with powerful fleets.” It looks like you’ll have to think very carefully when entering into direct diplomacy with him, then – a new feature that Awakening brings, along with the Nakalim as a new playable faction. He’ll frequently approach you, asking for resources to assist with his “research and plans,” and there will be consequences to how you respond.