- Station Defense Mission Fix - 15 September 2026
Fixed an issue where the Station Defense mission did not end properly.
- In The Black Major Content Update - 1844 - 8 September 2026
In The Black - Heat DeathHeat is now a weapon, a warning light, and a way to die. This patch rips out the old approximated heat model and replaces it with a brand-new, ground-up thermodynamics system. Your coolant loops, armor panels, radiators, and core systems now trade energy realistically, and your cockpit finally tells you which part is cooking before the reactor does anything dramatic.Here’s everything that’s new, everything that got better, and everything we fixed.NEW: Thermodynamics & Heat DamageNew Thermal System. We built a high-performance high-fidelity thermal system from scratch. Our system perfectly mirrors real-world thermodynamics and current aerospace designs to deliver an unmatched level of realism to In The Black's thermal combat mechanics:Heat Generation: weapons, engines, and other ship modules generate heat and dissipate it with varying efficiency. As you watch you…
- In The Black (Main) Update Patch 1724 - 29 May 2026
Watch Patch Video on YouTubeOverviewThis patch serves as a final push before our first content update. The team has focused heavily on hardening the core systems pilots use outside of missions: the squad/co-op system, ship inventory, and the ship modification pipeline.Key HighlightsSquads System & Co-op Contracts are officially back online.Cosmetics Unlockable through rank progression.Inventory Management is now significantly more reliable.Core System OverhaulsSquad & Co-op PolishAudio Sync: Co-op music and voiceover events are now properly synchronized between pilots, eliminating silent mission states.Clean Transitions: Returning to the hangar from a co-op session no longer triggers a harmless but confusing network failure popup.Camera Polish: The post-match camera framing has been widened so your entire hero ship is visible for ultrawide players.Inventory & Ship EditorModification Rol…
- In The Black (Main) - Minor Patch - 1696 - 15 May 2026
Greetings, Pilots!Here's an overview of our Early Access hotfixes and stability updates:New BloodSport LocationOpen Space - 5 v 5 - Pure dogfighting. No asteroids. No stations. Just the vacuum.Gameplay & Game Mode LogicWe've overhauled the logic that governs round transitions and bot behavior. The previous systems had some...exploitable loopholes. Those have been closed.Team Deathmatch Round-End Evaluation: Addressed a lingering issue where TDM rounds could end prematurely, even with active players in their ships. The evaluation logic is now more robust and correctly assesses the state of all pilots before calling the match.BloodSport Bot & Team Refactor: The bot management system for BloodSport has been completely rewritten. Bots are now handled by a unified rebalancing model that ensures teams are filled, trimmed, and balanced more intelligently. This also addresses an issue where squ…
- In The Black (Main) - Hotfix - 1645 - 7 May 2026
Greetings, Pilots.We've deployed a hotfix to address a critical hardware failure that slipped through recently and TrackIR support has now been restored. Some of you rightly pointed out that TrackIR went dark on launch. The device's Product ID was updated prematurely on our end, breaking the link. We've rolled back that change to restore immediate functionality. This gets head tracking back online for everyone who depends on it. We're coordinating with the TrackIR team to get the official ID integrated properly in a future release, but we weren't going to leave you flying blind in the meantime. Additionally, for those of you all seeking additional support with HOTAS or HOSAS setups: we've added a new overview video on our YouTube channel:Thank you all again so much for your feedback. We read every single review and every single bug report coming through the game, our Discord, our Steam…
- In The Black (Main) - Hotfix - 1642 - 6 May 2026
Greetings, Pilots. Thank you to everyone flying with us during our Early Access launch. Your feedback is helping us move quickly. Our first hotfix is already live and includes:• Re-enabled onboarding after fixes for physics, collision, and progression blockers • Added fail-safes to prevent players from getting stuck during tutorial flow • Fixed unkillable Destroy objectives for better mission consistency • Temporarily disabled the Squad system while we improve multiplayer stability Another round of fixes is already in testing, including: • Hidden mouse cursor issue at the end of contracts • Additional multiplayer reliability improvements • Squad system fixes and improvements • More consistent camera behavior HOTAS and HOSAS are fully supported. If you need help with setup, keybinds, or getting your controls dialed in, jump into the Discord and our community will help get you flying. Ear…
- In The Black (Demo) - Minor Patch - 1631 - 4 May 2026
Greetings Pilots,Another week, another round of updates as we prepare for launch into Early Access. We've been busy under the hood, overhauling core systems for performance, stability, and gameplay correctness. Here is the breakdown.Core System and Performance OverhaulsWe have landed a significant overhaul of the ship physics, armor, and mass bookkeeping systems. Armor meshes have been removed from the rigid-body simulation, which should yield a noticeable performance improvement in heavy combat. Vehicle mass has been split into distinct 'gameplay' and 'physics' pools, giving us more granular control to tune survivability and flight feel independently. As part of this, the spalling damage model has been reworked to prevent exit impacts from double-applying damage, making penetration damage more predictable.We have also replaced the legacy ship navigation light system with a more efficie…
- In The Black Launching May 5th - 30 April 2026
Greetings, mercs!We are incredibly proud to announce that the Early Access release of In The Black will launch May 5th. That date also honors the 65th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight of an American astronaut: Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 suborbital flight in 1961. We partnered with our good friends at LT Gaming for this exclusive announcement on their YouTube channel:The full press release can be viewed here: Nuclear-Powered Space Combat Simulator In The Black® Launches May 5We are incredibly grateful to all of the people who have helped bring this game to life over the past decade. Thank you all and we hope to see you all soon in-game. Happy hunting!-Impeller Studios
- In The Black (Demo) - Minor Patch - 1473 - 26 January 2026
Another week, another batch of changes straight from the void. We're continuing our push on UI and quality-of-life, and this time our sights were set on the projectile impact points (PIP). The old lead/lag pips were functional, but let's be honest, they were dumb and static. We've overhauled them completely.Alongside that, we've continued paying down a massive amount of technical debt, ripping out old systems and replacing them with more robust engine subsystems. This work isn't glamorous, but it's essential for stability and squashing entire classes of bugs and preventing future ones before they happen.Core System OverhaulsDynamic Pip: The core of this update is the new Dynamic Pip. Instead of just appearing, the pip now has a proper acquisition animation. When you lock a target, the pip will now spawn from the center of the screen, scaling, rotating, and interpolating to the final lea…
- In The Black (Demo) - Hotfix - 1449 - 12 January 2026
We've updated our Tobii head and eye tracking smoothing algorithms to reduce jitter and lag. We also slipped in a few bugfixes on some nasty edge cases that have been plaguing us.Core System OverhaulsTobii Eye/Head Tracking Rewrite: We've thrown out the old over-simplified smoothing system that felt disconnected and jittery. The new smoothing system is based on a complex prediction model that will guess where you're looking next. The result is a much tighter, 1:1 feel with significantly less jitter. We also tweaked the default acceleration values to something that feels more balanced out of the boxTurret Controller & Gimbal Logic Refactor:Performance: Gimbals are no longer wasting CPU cycles constantly telling their turrets to aim at the same spot. We've added a tolerance check, so the controller only gets new tasking when the target location has meaningfully shifted. Every cycle counts…
- In The Black (Demo) - Minor Patch - 1446 - 10 January 2026
Tobii Support & Backend UpdateAlright pilots, listen up.This week was about ripping out the guts of our singleton managers and replacing them with actual Engine Subsystems, because we're tired of race conditions and "spaghetti code" being a valid architectural pattern. We paid down a massive amount of technical debt, but we didn't leave you empty-handed. We’ve finished the Tobii Eye Tracking integration, so you can finally aim where you look.New Feature: Tobii Eye TrackingWe’ve added full Tobii integration. It’s not just a wrapper; we did the math to make it feel right.Head & Gaze Tracking: Full support for both.Gaze Boost: Your look direction now subtly influences camera rotation, helping you track targets faster. It feels like telepathy, but it's just math.Smoothing: We dampened the jitter, but it still needs some work. It shouldn't feel like you're having a seizure anymore riding the…
- In The Black (Demo) - Hotfix - 1396 - 11 December 2025
Features & System ChangesHead Tracking Overhaul: The system for head tracking and vehicle cameras has been completely rewritten for significantly smoother and more accurate 1:1 control.Head tracking rotation is now independent of manual freelook (mouse/joystick), allowing for simultaneous input.It's recommended to reset your look multiplier back to 1.0 found in Options > Misc.Tracking input settings can be found under Options > Input > View as the last two options.Pause Tracking: Freezes the headtracking look orientation.Toggle Eye & Head Tracking: Disables head tracking and restores the player view back to center.Player Camera System Rework: The entire camera system for both cockpit and external views has been refactored to be more robust and responsive.
- In The Black (Demo) - The Hardware Update - 1390 - 6 December 2025
What's NewWe're excited to introduce the completely redesigned Input System 2.0 for In The Black! This major overhaul brings a modern, flexible input management system that makes configuring your controls easier and more reliable than ever before.⚠️ WARNING: All previous input settings will be reset! Legacy profiles are not compatible with the new system. Your controls will reset to defaults upon first launch.Track-IR Head-Tracking Support (NEW) Track-IR support is now integrated, giving you true head-look in the cockpit for better spatial awareness, target tracking, and immersion.Look around your cockpit naturally without taking your hands off your flight controlsKeep your nose on target while visually scanning your surroundingsHuge boost to situational awareness during close-quarters dogfights and formation flyingTrack-IR can be enabled and configured under: Settings > Misc > Head Tra…
- Demo - In The Black - Minor Patch - 1360 - 19 November 2025
Visual ImprovementsAugmented Vision: Added Augmented Vision on activation of Sensors to help new and seasoned players find their way in the dark of space.Ultra Wide Support: FOV now adjusts dynamically based on screen aspect ratio to ensure that all vital parts of the ship cockpit remain visible regardless of monitor aspect ratio.Vehicle HUD Update: When the HMCS widget is triggered to be visible, the HUD brackets will now hide themselves to reduce visual clutter on screen.Game Resource MenuThe new Game Resource menu is now available. You can access it through the News button in the hangar. This menu provides ongoing updates about current development progress. If you opened this message inside the game, you are already using it.You will also find quick access to the Pilot Manual, the FAQ, and the Steam Community page. These are available if you have questions or want to share something…
- Demo - In The Black – Minor Patch 1346 - 5 November 2025
Major AdditionsCamera Zoom OverhaulRebuilt from the ground up for smoother, more realistic control.Added Toggle Zoom and refined Auto-Zoom behavior (now only activates on initial target focus).Implemented a true optical magnification model, improving precision and feel.All zoom settings now live under a dedicated Zoom tab in the options menu.Player Feedback ImprovementsThe post-submission “Thank You” screen now displays an Issue ID to help us trace reports faster.Visual Effects UpgradeThe Hyperion-class ship now features new, improved destruction effects.BreakoutExplosionFixes & OptimizationsAPI StabilityRefactored the backend API and callback system to prevent several rare crash conditions and improve consistency across sessions.CameraFixed an issue where zoom states persisted incorrectly when switching between first-person and third-person free-look.UIFixed an issue with settings not…
- Demo - In The Black – Minor Patch 1343 - 29 October 2025
Several bug fixes and Quality-of-Life updates, here are some of the most notable:Gameplay & Tutorial ImprovementsWeapons Tutorial Revamp: Players can now freely rotate their ship from the start of the tutorial, removing forced aim alignment. This prevents issues with ship drift during the railgun section and improves player agency.Basic Flight Training Enhancements:Instruction text now animates to maintain player focus.Visuals adjusted to improve readability; asteroids and background clutter reduced.New logic zeroes player velocity when movement goals are achieved to reduce false detections.Freelook sections now require players to look at designated targets to progress.UI & TargetingNew LineDraw Widget: A versatile, anti-aliased line-drawing system for HUD and tactical UIs supports dashed lines, directional highlights, and screen-edge guidance to better locate off-screen or targeted ene…
- Early Access Trailer - 24 October 2025
Hey there Mercs! We've got a hot new trailer for you guys! Our Early Access trailer has hit the channel, come have a look! Lots of exciting additions are coming, and sooner than you think. If you'd like to know more about Early Access, then look no further than our Press Release Document. This document not only covers what we've learned from our time at Next Fest, but also our road-map for Early Access. However, if you’re looking for something more tangible, you may find a treat for the Halloween season inside. Something that will scare away the competition from some lucrative contracts. As always, stay close to our social media accounts for further updates. See you soon Mercs.
- Demo - In The Black – Minor Patch 1334 - 19 October 2025
Gameplay & BalanceRailgun Damage AdjustmentArmor thickness across multiple ship classes has been rebalanced to slightly reduce the railgun’s one-shot potential.Adjustments affect the Hyperion, Pegasus, and Reus ship families.This is part of ongoing tuning to encourage more dynamic mid-range engagements.Tutorial Combat ImprovementsFixed an issue in the Basic Combat Tutorial where simulated targets were overly durable.Simulator Target ships can now be destroyed as intended.Target health and armor values have been lowered to allow quicker destruction and smoother progression.Stability & Technical FixesTimer System CleanupFixed multiple cases across gameplay and UI systems where timers were being improperly cleared, leading to potential memory leaks or delayed callbacks.Widget & UI CleanupResolved edge cases in menu popups and fading widgets that could retain active timers after destruction…
- Ambitious, ultra-realistic space combat sim In The Black finally has a playable demo, and I love how terrible I am at it - 19 October 2025
It's been eight years since In The Black secured Kickstarter funding, and ten since initial work on it first began. It was known as Starfighter Inc at the time, but since then developer Impeller Studios has given it a new name as it worked on crafting the most realistic interstellar combat sim possible. Star Citizen, No Man's Sky, and Elite Dangerous will want to fasten their seatbelts, because there's a new challenger to the best space games , and it's taking things very seriously. I've been test-flying its Steam Next fest demo, and I'm still terrible at it, but I'm already eager to master my craft. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Starfighter Inc. makes a swift return for a second round on Kickstarter Impeller Studios wants to make Starfighter Inc. the heir to X-Wing
- Impeller Studios wants to make Starfighter Inc. the heir to X-Wing - 19 October 2025
Elite fans got Elite: Dangerous, Wing Commander fans are getting Star Citizen, but what about X-Wing fans. The series did just appear on GOG and Steam, but as great as they are, gosh they're a bit old now. This leaves the door open to Impeller Studios and Starfighter Inc. It's not a new X-Wing game, it's not related to Star Wars at all, but the team's goal is to carry on the series' lineage. It's on Kickstarter at the moment, and is half-funded with 24 days to go. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Ambitious, ultra-realistic space combat sim In The Black finally has a playable demo, and I love how terrible I am at it Starfighter Inc. makes a swift return for a second round on Kickstarter
