Christophe De bont 
14/09/2018Proud FLEGA member LuGus Studios have officially released Liftoff. The ultimate drone racing simulator has had the chance to grow for three years in Steam Early Access, but after hundreds of updates, numerous partnerships with drone racing companies and continuous community support, the game is finally set free to fly on its own.
Studio co-founder Kevin Haelterman has always stressed (link in Dutch) that Liftoff isn’t just the creation of the development team, but a creation of the community. Fueled by fan feedback, the scope of the project grew well beyond anything he ever expected while building the very first prototype after having seen a cool video about drone racing. With over 80.000 pilots using the simulation to hone their drone racing skills, the project has become everything they hoped for and then some.
The V1 release comes with the biggest update ever, adding more than 50 big additions and improvements. Next to numerous tweaks to the physics and minor bug fixes, the V1 version introduces a brand new environment and comes with a completely revamped race editor and track builder. The team has also added a progression system, where you gain XP and level up while playing, unlocking purely cosmetic upgrades for your drone as you go. This is purely optional stuff, as Liftoff will remain the hardcore sim it always has been.
While updates won’t come as often now the game’s released, LuGus will keep supporting the game and its community. Sometime after launch, they will organise a tournament where the best drone racer can win a $ 10,000 sponsorship deal and be flown to real drone racing events around the world. On top of that the team says it’s looking to expand the Liftoff Universe with Liftoff Academy, a training program for drone use in a variety of professional fields, and a multitude of other Liftoff related products.
Liftoff is available on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux under the name Liftoff: FPV Drone Racing and will run you € 19,99. The game left a permanent mark on the Flemish Games Industry and we want to thank all at LuGus that contributed to the game for their tremendous efforts. Congratulations everyone!
