# Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution *Game* · `species-alre` · status: **sourced** A solo-developed evolution simulator in which creatures defined by numeric genes mutate, breed, and speciate in real time across a 3D world while the player observes, edits the gene pool, and alters climate. | field | value | |---|---| | aliases | Species ALRE, Species | | year | 2012 | | developer | Quasar | | platforms | PC | | subgenre | Artificial life | | subgenre secondary | Ecosystem / evolution | | sim domain | Biological / ecological | | player role | Observer / gardener | | agency model | Supernatural intervention, Policy / parameter, Indirect incentive | | time model | Real-time with pause | | sim scale | Region | | fidelity | Systemic | | perspective | Free 3D camera | | win structure | Open sandbox | | failure model | None | | narrative mode | Emergent | | multiplayer | Single-player | | modding | Content | | production tier | Indie | | agent count order | ~100 | | emergence | 3 | | influence | 1 | | cluster *(computed)* | C16 | | core count *(computed)* | 2 | | mechanic count *(computed)* | 8 | ## Summary A solo-developed evolution simulator in which creatures defined by numeric genes mutate, breed, and speciate in real time across a 3D world while the player observes, edits the gene pool, and alters climate. ## Core Loop creatures feed, pay energy costs, and reproduce -> offspring genomes mutate -> environment and rovers decide who eats and who starves -> trait averages drift and lineages split into species -> player edits genes, climate, or triggers ice ages and floods -> watch the clade diagram branch ## Design Notes Species, built by a single developer known as Quasar, simulates evolution with no fitness function: genes are numbers, most mutations add a random value in [-1, 1] scaled by a background mutation rate and radiation, and survival is whatever the body and environment allow. Energy costs come from analyzing each creature's skeleton for internal forces and torques, so morphology has a physical price, and creatures can eat only what their head reaches. Species are not predefined: a species is a population that can interbreed within a genetic distance, and it splits only when intermediate forms die out, which the clade diagram records. Species defined at runtime by genetic distance are not yet a mechanic in the taxonomy (proposal runtime-speciation). A free alpha (0.4.0) was public from 2012, and the Steam Early Access build from 2018 has not reached 1.0. ## Relations **uses** - [Trait inheritance](../mechanic/trait-inheritance.md) (core): Each creature's body and behavior come from numeric genes; offspring are randomly modified copies of one or more parents, with most mutations a random value in [-1, 1] times a modifier for background mutation rate and radiation. - [Natural selection](../mechanic/natural-selection.md) (core): No fitness score exists; creatures that cannot pay skeleton-derived energy costs, reach food, or tolerate local climate fail to reproduce, so trait averages drift and lineages speciate. - [Habitat suitability](../mechanic/habitat-suitability.md) (supporting): Climate varies across the map, and climate control devices create local cold, hot, fertile, or dead ground. - [God powers](../mechanic/god-powers.md) (supporting): The player triggers ice ages and world floods, programs rovers to feed or kill creatures by genetic distance to a target genome, and edits genomes in an isolated nursery. - [Lifecycle and aging](../mechanic/lifecycle-aging.md) (supporting) - [Agent inspection](../mechanic/agent-inspection.md) (supporting): Creature inspection shows each individual's DNA and stats. - [Stats dashboards](../mechanic/stats-dashboards.md) (supporting): Species averages over time, a clade diagram (Tree of Life), a satellite range map, and a web-of-life view of genetic variety. - [Pause and speed control](../mechanic/variable-speed.md) (supporting) ## Backlinks (computed) **precedent for:** [Open-ended evolution sandbox](../opportunity/open-ended-evolution-sandbox.md) ## Claims - The free Proof of Concept Demo Alpha 0.4.0 was publicly released on 2012-05-27, and the game entered Steam Early Access on 2018-09-28 without a later 1.0 release. *(confidence: high)* [[59](../source/src-quasar-2012-species-alpha-release.md), [60](../source/src-steam-2026-species-alre.md)] - The developer is credited only by the handle Quasar on Steam and the development blog; no personal name was found in the sources checked. *(confidence: medium)* [[60](../source/src-steam-2026-species-alre.md), [61](../source/src-revolutionarygames-2016-thrive-vs-species.md)] ## Sources - [Species: Artificial Life, Real Evolution on Steam](../source/src-steam-2026-species-alre.md) - [ALPHA RELEASE! WHOO!](../source/src-quasar-2012-species-alpha-release.md) - [Species 0.7.0 Released!](../source/src-quasar-2014-species-0-7-0.md) - [Devblog #5: Thrive vs Species](../source/src-revolutionarygames-2016-thrive-vs-species.md) --- Provenance: created in run `2026-10-24-catalog-gd`.