https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euCd8GAVxZQ
We can all agree that 2020 was challenging, and though nothing can fix what was broken this year, we do hope that Liftoff made it just a little bit better for you all. The Liftoff team stays committed to making Liftoff bigger and better each year and by that we mean not just the software, but also the community that surrounds it.
The community
The Liftoff community has grown by over 60 000 virtual pilots this year. On several occasions in 2020, we set a new record number of players, something we are extremely grateful for. Not only have we enjoyed flying among you on the race track, we have been impressed by the massive amount of super creative track creations, community stories and videos. The sweet celebration video linked above, made by BlueCheese, is a fantastic example of that. For the Liftoff team, the community highlight of the year is definitely the weekly official Liftoff stream A Song of Pitch & Throttle, by our extremely talented and dedicated host Abdul! We love the content, the chats and the community interaction it brings!
The game(s)
What can we say? 5 years in and yet 2020 has proven to be one of our biggest years so far! Not only did we release a Liftoff game on PlayStation4 and Xbox One (a massive milestone for the team), but we've also continued to make Liftoff on PC the absolute best FPV simulator it can be. Here's an updated development timeline.
Highlights of the year are surely the release of the Russian Woodpecker, getting Zoroe's art in the game, the updated The Green, but most of all our massive 1.3.0 milestone update that brought a significant engine upgrade, improved performance, fewer loading screens, our much beloved Liftoff Physics 4.0 and much more. We've managed to evolve Liftoff to the next level, ready for the coming decade. After 5 years and over 130 updates, you'd think we are done, but it feels like we've only just started!
What will 2021 bring?
If you have followed us for a while, you know we don't set year long development goals. We prefer a flexible approach that allows us to work with community feedback and suggestions, and focus on what's important "now" rather than what we planned upfront. That being said, we have never been more committed to Liftoff as we are now and some of our near term goals includes new game modes, further revamps of existing environments (Hangar C03 is next), new content and so much more. Additionally, 2021 will see the release of a new spinoff sim called Liftoff: Micro Drones, of which we will reveal more in the weeks to come.
We are excited for Liftoff in 2021 and we hope you are too! Happy New Year! :D