Well, it’s about time…

As some of you may know already, we have added a new Producer to Skyforge. The previous Producer, Fabien “Maeron” Alexandre, who drove Skyforge in its first year, has taken over the responsibility to prepare My.com’s upcoming game Revelation Online for launch. In his stead, I have taken over the helm of Skyforge.

Hi! My name is Volker “PoweredByPixels” Boenigk and as the new Producer I will be guiding Skyforge in the West through its second year and beyond. Previously, I have spent the last 12 years of my working life in various games, and I am looking forward to applying what I have learned in the past to make sure that the future of Skyforge is a bright one.

That being said, it’s finally time for another producer letter (even though it’s only been about a month and a half since the last one). We are currently celebrating the first anniversary of Skyforge. It is a time where we celebrate the persistence of things as much as we celebrate and embrace change. The progress that we have made together and the progress we will make in the future.

I am certain that we will have a great second year together and will watch Skyforge grow even more. I am very excited at the prospect of the journey ahead and I would like to take this opportunity to take a look back, but especially to glance ahead and see what’s coming for Skyforge on the horizon.

Relentless Onslaught on August 17

At this very moment, the celebrations for the 1st year anniversary are in full swing – a Log in for Loot Event, Anniversary Pack Sale, Investigation of Dr. Argus, and more to bring all players together to celebrate the time we have spent together and to anticipate the new things the future may hold. With Battle of Equals we have just released the next big update, which, among many other things, brought some major additions to the PvP landscape of Skyforge. Today we are extremely excited to announce our next update for Skyforge.

Relentless Onslaught will be released on the 17th of August 2016 and will bring exciting, new content for all our PvE players. The addition of a completely new game mode will test your abilities in new and exciting ways.
In the “Inghar Test Area” you will take a group of five players and try to persevere through one of the toughest challenges the game has to offer. In this special area you will find yourself facing hordes of enemies comprised of foes from all the different invading forces. Battle through increasingly difficult phases in an effort to achieve the highest ratings and reap the best rewards. Will you be able to achieve victory and climb to the top? You will be able to find out soon!

Make sure you follow our news and social media to stay up to date as we share more details on this new PvE mode and all the other changes and additions that will come to Skyforge in Relentless Onslaught. We are extremely excited at the prospect of this new update, and we hope that you will enjoy it playing as much as we do preparing it!

What was…

The first year of Skyforge has brought a lot of movement and progress. Since we opened the gates for our Open Beta on the 16th of July 2015, many things have changed. We have released a total of 8 major updates since Skyforge made its entry on the Western market. The latest of these expansions, Cybernetic Alliance and Battle of Equals, amongst many other things introduced a new type of companion and an equalized PvP mode, which made them two of the most well received major updates since the launch of Skyforge.

Over the past year, the game has been made more accessible for new players to ensure a constant flow of new Immortals to fight back the invading hordes , controller support was added, and numerous other changes and improvements to the overall gameplay have been made. We have also released a multitude of different in-game events that gave players the option to enhance their game experience in a variety of ways.

While we may not always have seen eye to eye when it came to the changes that were introduced to the game, and we even may have had constructive discussions on the Aelinet about the way the game was growing and how everyone felt about it, we have, like in any good family, always found a way through our differences.
We have always tried to take everyone’s feedback into account when it came to defining the future course of Skyforge, and whilst it is not possible to always implement all the ideas, wishes, and feedback, we will certainly continue to pursue a path of communication and exchange of ideas in the future.

What will be…

Now apart from these very specific things and very concrete additions to the game that have happened in the past and will happen in the near future, we are also always looking of expanding and improving the way that players access and interact with the game. We want to make it as easy as possible for players to take the role of a god of Aelion and enjoy the adventures that Skyforge has to offer and so we will continue to look into ways that can bring new players into our fantastic world.

The recent addition of controller support to the game for example, has made it possible for players to enjoy the exciting action combat of Skyforge whilst reclining in their chairs and on their couches, rather than being hunched over a mouse and keyboard. Aching gamer backs all around the globe have sighed in relief in the face of this improvement.
But even beyond that, this option has opened the game up to players that so far have not been comfortable (or able) to play the game with the traditional keyboard and mouse configuration.

With all these tumultuous developments and changes of the first year behind us, we now have a much clearer picture of what Skyforge really is, and what it will become in the future. And whilst the recent 8 expansions (soon to be 9) have constantly pushed the game forward, the development team is already working hard on the next major updates to the game, that will bring significant and fundamental changes and additions to some of Skyforge’s core concepts, as well as a lot of exciting new content.
Expect to experience the continuation of the epic storyline you have enjoyed in Skyforge so far, and prepare to test your skills and determination against a completely new Raid Boss. We are looking forward to bringing all this and more to you before autumn 2016, and we will be sharing more details in the coming weeks.

So as we are sailing into the second year of Skyforge, I would like you to rest assured that we are already thinking ahead, plotting our course through the treacherous waters of the online video games market. You will be seeing more of Skyforge out there in the wide world of the video games pretty soon!

Thank You!

But amongst all the talking of growing, expanding, reaching out and tapping new markets, I want to briefly take a step back and look at what is the most important thing for Skyforge and its continued success. And that isn’t a content update, an in-game event or a new invasion. It’s not a new class, an exciting new game mode or a new adventure. It’s you. The players.

You make the game what it is. With your actions in and outside of the game, you make Skyforge to what it is. A place where amazing people can meet and have fun playing a video game together. Players from all continents, social backgrounds and education. People of different age, gender and skin color. People with one common interest: Having a great time together in their video game of choice.

And that is something that I want to celebrate and honor even more than one year of Skyforge. I want to celebrate that we are coming together in this game every day to share experiences and to make memories that will stay with us our whole life. And I want us to be the architects of these memories together, to influence this world together, and to shape this game together.

While we of course have to run this virtual world of ours, and have to make sure that it rests on stable feet that ensure its continued existence, we will continue to listen to you. We will continue to get your opinions, ideas and feedback and make sure that the developers know of your wishes and concerns for the game. While we may not always share the same opinion when it comes to game features or specific changes, we always have the utmost respect for you and your opinions and we will always intently discuss all feedback.

So thank you for this opportunity to address you all. I hope we can make this a regular thing, and that I will be able to talk more details and answer some of your questions in the next edition of the Producer letter.

Thank you, for enjoying Skyforge. Thank you, for being awesome.

Keep rocking,
Volker “PoweredByPixels” Boenigk