[3][4] Later the tie-in was dropped, and the game converted into a sequel to Star Raiders by changing a number of gameplay elements.

Conversions for the ZX Spectrum,[5] Amstrad CPC,[6] and Commodore 64[7] were published under license by Electric Dreams Software in 1987.

In 2015 it was revealed that a true sequel, also called Star Raiders II, had been under development for some time by Atari programmer Aric Wilmunder.

In the past, the Rylan Star League protected themselves from the warlike Ko-Dan through their fleet of advanced "Gunstar" fighters, and the "Frontier", a space-based energy field.

The movie follows the protagonist Alex Rogan as he crews the remaining Gunstar fighter and defeats the Ko-Dan fleet.

Each fleet contained a group of Deckfighters for protection, Destroyers that attacked the cities on League planets, and a single command ship that was responsible for breaching the Frontier.

After defeating this initial force, pressing space opened a display of the local solar system, showing the multiple planets, the Frontier, and any attacking fleets.

The original animated introduction, similar to one seen in the movie, was removed, and a simple "Star Raiders II" copyright splash-screen was put in its place.

The most notable change in gameplay terms was the replacement of the torpedoes with a laser-like weapon that could be aimed semi-independently of the ship's motion, allowing for snap shots against the rapidly moving enemies.

In this version, the player's home planet is in the upper left of the map, and the enemy ships are ultimately attempting to attack it.

A number of planets can also be attacked in a view based on the over-surface scene in the Atari arcade game Star Wars, which was being developed down the hall from Wilmunder's office.

But by this time Atari was in disarray and undergoing a continual downsizing that Wilmunder described as a sort of mine field - to go into work every day to see the latest "crater", another employee that had been laid off.

In spite of several positive meetings, Atari would not commit to supporting a release, and the effort was forgotten when Wilmunder moved to Lucasfilm Games.