It’s hard to believe it’s been five years already! It all started as a wild idea to bring one of the most beloved modern board games to the screen, and it’s grown beyond what we ever dreamed. Three major expansions, decorative packs, seasons, and millions of turns later, Wingspan Digital found its place in the hearts of many players. Every day, thousands of you log in to build your preserves, play your favorite birds, and try out new strategies. Having such a passionate community is our biggest achievement.
Today, we celebrate not only the game’s success but, most of all, the people behind it: you, our team, the art, the music, and all the work and time that went into the creative process. We are constantly inspired by you, by your feedback, suggestions, passion, and creativity. Even today, we share your ideas and celebrate with a special cake, like the ones you’ve made throughout these years.
The team gathered to celebrate for a while and wanted to share this moment with you!
How do you turn a board game into a video game? It was certainly a wild journey full of crazy ideas and inspirations. We always knew we wanted to preserve the soul of the board game while creating something unique, something that could only exist in digital form. The first prototypes looked nothing like the rich preserve you know today. We drew our ideas with pen and paper, tried to bring the first birds to life through animation, and took some really bold steps, like adding a single-habitat view, drawing our own backgrounds for each season and holiday. We even contacted local Polish legends, and now you can hear Krystyna Czubówna in the game (everyone knows her here!).
Fast forward to today: after the European and Oceania Expansions, we’re just three months past the release of the Asia Expansion. There are so many birds in the game now, but even more Birders out in the wild!
We wanted to share the history of Wingspan Digital with you. We found old footage and put it together into a short documentary. Check it out!
The sound of Wingspan Digital has always been more than just background music. Can the life of birds be turned into music? How do you do it? Paweł Górniak, the brilliant composer behind the soundtrack, answered these questions for us and created a soundscape that became the heartbeat of the game. Over the years, you shared many touching stories connected to this music, and they always moved us deeply.
In this short documentary video, Paweł takes you behind the scenes: from the first melodies inspired by bird calls to the bold new themes of the Asia Expansion. If you’d like to know more about the process, the first ideas for the score, and which expansion is his favorite, watch it here:
Every great anniversary deserves a party! The Anniversary Background returns, full of cozy birthday charm and decorations (try it out before September 24!). A brand-new Anniversary Portrait will also land in your collection — it’s free and it will never fly away! And for the first time ever, challenges designed by our very own community champions, Jolex and Eskele on Discord, are ready to test your skills. Each one was created as a true trial for experts and champs.
To complete the celebration, we have released new Wingspan Digital anniversary merchandise so the party can continue beyond the game. Go join the Pigeon Party!
Did you know that we once contacted David Attenborough to be the English voice of Wingspan Digital? Though it never came to be, we still have a handwritten letter he sent us. We could be politely declined like this any day. What a gift!
Did you know that the most played birds in the last three months were White-Headed Duck, Bell’s Vireo, and Atlantic Puffin? Guess the bonus cards engines are the current meta!
We have a few favorite birds, too. Did you know that Snow Bunting is still visiting us in our nightmares after it first appeared in the game when the European Expansion was released? Or that Verditer Flycatcher was the most dreaded bird to implement? It has its own category in our workflow (the name of which I shall not cite here…).
We’ve mentioned it at the start, but since it’s our 5th anniversary, we wanted to share some of the community’s best Wingspan-inspired cakes we’ve found through the years. Feast your eyes!
From all of us here, thank you for five amazing years. We wouldn’t be here without you. Your passion has kept us inspired every single day since the release.
We are excited for the future (you might have heard about our new project, Flamecraft) and we cannot wait to share what comes next. For now, we invite you to look back with us. Tell us about your favorite Wingspan Digital moments and memories. Tag us on your favorite platform so we won’t miss it!
That’s all for today, but we’ll see you soon, dear Birders. May your preserves overflow with eggs, cached food, and tucked cards.
Here’s to the next five years and beyond, cheers!
