The Harmony faction was added in the expansion pack Endless Space: Disharmony. The faction was created by Panzer, a member of the Endless Space community. The Automatons faction was added in the ' Rise of the Automatons' free add-on. The Sheredyn faction is a special faction included with the Emperor Edition of the game, but is functionally identical to the United Empire unless Endless Space: Disharmony has been downloaded, in which case it gains its own unique traits. Each has their own history and unique traits and bonuses. Endless Space featured 8 playable factions at launch, and currently features 12 unique playable factions.