The highly anticipated Elite: Dangerous launched today. After almost two years in the making, following a very successful £1.5 million Kickstarter campaign the man behind the project pressed a big red button. Version 1.0 of the game is now available to purchase and play.

The premise of Elite is simple "Start with a small starship and 1,000 credits, and do whatever it takes to get the skill, knowledge, wealth and power to stand among the ranks of the Elite." However the game takes place in "a cutthroat galaxy… an epic, full-scale recreation of our Milky Way," with galactic superpowers making war, pirates, bounty hunters, smugglers, explorers and more. In the game you can fly alone or with friends and your actions change the galaxy around you.

If you are taking your first steps in Elite: Dangerous and wonder where to start, you might be interested to know that at your nearest docking bay you will find the game's story-driven campaign and newsfeed, reports Polygon. "Check the GalNet feeds to see the events happening across the galaxy. At launch we'll unlock the core Imperial worlds, where the first major story events and story-specific missions will be available," said the developers in an email. The first of the major story events revolve around the fate of the Emperor, who is ill, and the six rivals jostling to take his place.