- Dev Update | Introducing Region 3 & Demo Progress - 27 August 2026
Hey folks,Thanks so much for your patience while we ran a bunch of playtests and have been prepping for a Demo launch. Our plan is to launch the Demo soon, we still need to do a bit more testing and as soon as it's ready we'll make sure we shout about it everywhere. For those of you who did jump into our playtests, we wanted to say a big thank you, your feedback has been critical to us continue to shape Deadstick. We will be we FsimUK on October 10 & 11 where attendees will be able to get hands on with Deadstick set-up with a Flight Sim rig. Next up we'd like to introduce you to Region 3 - we have our previous looks at Region 1 (Waking) and Region 2 (Redshore), so let us talk about Riverine. Riverine occupies the heart of the Island’s southern half, nestled in a basin between some of the island’s tallest mountain ranges. Surrounded by Redshore to the south and east and Waking to the wes…
- Dev Update | 100k Wishlists, Playtest Reopen & New Heights Trailer! - 2 June 2026
Hey bush flyers, Lots of exciting updates today, we hit 100k wishlists over the weekend for Deadstick! As a big thank you we have decided to reopen the playtest for 1 week! June 2nd 5pm BST - June 9th 5pm BSTThis is the same playtest we ran in May (22-26th), no changes or updates have been made to the build.Playtest FAQCan I stream or post video content from the playtest?Yes! Feel free to share links to these in our Discord too :) I played the previous closed playtest and there is less content, is this right? Yes, the idea of this playtest is it gives us an opportunity to essentially test what would be coming in a future Demo of Deadstick. Where can I leave feedback and/or bug reports? Please make sure you’re sharing as much feedback as possible via our feedback form or our bug reporting form.Form 1 - Report a Bug: A very short form to submit information on a specific issueForm 2 - Play…
- Dev Update | Open Playtest & Name Change! - 21 May 2026
Hey bush flyers, We have the first official Deadstick OPEN Playtest happening this weekend 🥳 This means everyone who has signed up will get access from Friday 22nd May \ to Tuesday 26th May \. For this playtest we will be using Steam playtest functionality so everyone who has signed up here will get access. If you have not taken part in a playtest before you will receive a notification email to let you know the playtest is live - you will then be able to download, jump in and play the playtest build. If you have played in any of our previous closed playtests you won't receive a notification but the game will be available to download in your Steam Library. Playtest FAQ Can I stream or post video content from the playtest?Yes! Feel free to share links to these in our Discord too :) I played the previous closed playtest and there is less content, is this right? Yes, the idea of this playt…
- Dev Update | Playtest THIS WEEKEND & Region 2 - Redshore - 1 May 2026
Hey folks, We wanted to take some time today to update you on where we are with playtesting! If you've been part of our Discord you'll know we've been hosting some very limited playtests to test things like various HOTAS configurations, flight controls & general feedback. Now we've completed these smaller tests we are now hosting a more open playtest to help gather more feedback. For this playtest we will be using Steam playtest functionality to select 3,500 who have signed up at random. The playtest is now live until 11am BST, May 5th 2026. If you have not taken part in a playtest before you will receive a notification email to let you know the playtest is live - you will then be able to download jump in and play the playtest build. If you have played in our March playtest you won't receive a notification but the game will be available to download in your Steam Library. We have a gener…
- Dev Update | Region 1 - Waking - 23 February 2026
We wanted to take some time today to talk about Region 1 in Deadstick, the full game will have 6 regions, which we'll talk about in the coming months.Introducing Region 1, officially named 'Waking' Waking is the warmer southern gateway occupying the island’s southwestern peninsula. This is where early explorers, like Ellis Moore, first built settlements on the island. Somewhat sheltered from harsher northern climates, this early region enjoys milder weather and some of the most vibrant landscapes found anywhere on the island.Dense forests fill the terrain, covering much of the landmass. Waking is best known for its striking autumn woodlands. Sweeping groves of golden-brown leaves provide enduring colour and visual diversity, setting Waking apart from the colder evergreen regions found further north.At the heart of Waking, a cascading waterfall feeds into the tranquil waters of Greyhound…
- Dev Update | Airport Upgrades & Flight Planning - 10 December 2025
Hey bush flyers, It's been over a year since we started the re-development for Deadstick, and if you've been following along you'll have seen a bunch of progress we've made to the game, and thank you all for your ongoing support 🙌 Our aim throughout this re-development process is to keep you all as informed as we can, sharing gameplay, screenshots and a bunch of folks have already been helping us out with some playtesting 👀 As mentioned in a previous post open playtesting is coming in 2026 and we can't wait for you all to get hands on. For those of you who haven't already signed up, now is the time 👇Let's recap what we've been working on and what shared throughout November. As usual, please note that all of this is work in progress in-game footage/images.If you'll remember back in May we shared some screenshots of a selection of airports & airstrips, and since then we've done a bunch…
- Dev Update | Audio - 31 October 2025
Hey bush flyers! It's our October wrap-up and this month we have focused mainly on adding audio into Deadstick, and it's made a huge difference when we've been jumping into builds. In our latest Development Milestone we've began implementing HOTAS support, redesigned job cards, improved Cargo interactions with the UI, added an in-game radio and began the initial framework for a public playtest next year! As usual, please note that all of this is work in progress in-game footage/images. We have been able to share a few videos which feature some of the new audio added to the game! When implementing the audio into Deadstick we wanted to be as authentic as possible, so we rented a plane (Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub) with Chris Cheetham and the crew over at Sound Cuts. We wanted to share some Behind the Scenes pics! We've had an amazing reaction from the community so far, so please let us know…
- Dev Update | Cockpit Overview - 2 October 2025
Hey bush flyers! It's our September wrap-up and we've been sharing a bit more around the cockpit in the game as it's been requested by a bunch of you. In our latest Development Milestone we've taken the game through an initial UI / UX review, as well as continued implementation of audio into the game (hopefully we'll have more to share on this soon), and of course working hard on the playtest build. For those asking this will likely be coming in early 2026, if this changes we'll keep you all updated. Don't forget you can sign-up on the store page.As usual, please note that all of this is work in progress in-game footage/images. This is how the instruments in the cockpit are currently looking, some of the key instruments you can see are: AOA IndicatorAirspeed IndicatorArtificial HorizonAltimeterOil Pressure GaugeOil Temperature GaugeCHT GaugeTachometerEngine HoursVSI Heading IndicatorCDI…
- Dev Update | Peaks & Valleys - 1 September 2025
Hey bush flyers! It's our August wrap-up and we've been doing a lot of sight seeing! In our latest Development Milestone we've done some work on the weather parameters (balancing based on the specific biome), added navigation aids and associated cockpit instrument upgrades, we've added more varied jobs and began implementing Aircraft audio.Playtest sign-ups are still open for folks who may have missed these in previous updates, you can sign-up over on the store page. We are hoping to have news about the date of a playtest soon. As usual, please note that all of this is work in progress in-game footage/images. In August we've shared a look at some of the peak and valley work we've been doing. Valley tourCamping Here are a few recent short form videos we'll think you'll enjoy: Deadstick then & nowTerrainCrash land viewsJobs in DeadstickExploring the worldWhich airport are you landing atSn…
- Dev Update | Fog & Hand Cranking - 30 June 2025
Hey bush flyers! It's our June wrap-up and we've got some pretty cool things to share. In our latest Development Milestone we've implemented rewards based on cargo type deliveries and riskiness of the weather, plane components have their own individual damage parameters and durability, and we've structured passive missions around world landmarks. If you read last months update you will know we've opened up playtest sign-ups for future public playtests, we are now at 3.500+ people who have signed-up to join these and provide valuable feedback ahead of launch! 🥳 Our goal is to open this up to everyone when the public playtest is available, so if you haven't already click 'request access' on the Deadstick store page. As usual, please note that all of this is work in progress in-game footage/images. We shared a snippet of what flying with heavy fog is like. Sometimes incidents happen and y…
- Dev Update | Airports & Playtest Sign-ups - 30 May 2025
Hey bush flyers, It's our end of month wrap up and we've got a bunch to share with you. In our latest development Milestone we've started working on procedural weather changes (very excited to share this with the community), tweaks to the reputation system, updated the map UI and began concepting side missions. Let's get straight to the thing you've seen in the title and clicked in for, playtest news. Now, we don't have a playtest date yet. However while we continue our work on the development of a first playable later this year for Deadstick we wanted to open up sign-ups, this is so we have an idea of who wants to get hands-on ahead of launch to provide us very valuable feedback! You can sign-up for the playtest by heading over to the Deadstick store page and hitting the 'request access' button. Don't worry you won't miss out when the playtest does become available, we will post about…
- Dev Update | Parts & Visuals - 30 April 2025
Hey bush flyers, We've been sharing even more progress of Deadstick! In our latest milestone we've started to populate the entire environment with airports (which we can hopefully show you in the coming months🤞), and expanded the job system factoring in pilot reputation, cargo weight, item amount, load fragility and urgency as a precursor to planning out career progression. Here is a recap of what we shared in April with our community. We gave a first look at damage to the plane by throwing cargo at it...the cargo launcher may be a fun addition in developer mode, but maybe not in the final game 😅 We shared a very early look at customisation of the plane and some of the things you'll be able to do to your vehicle. Yes, a bright neon plane is totally acceptable. And we gave a first look at the ongoing work to upgrade the detail and rendering of environments. And finally, we have be work…
- Dev Update | A World of Wonder - 1 April 2025
Hey bush pilots, There has been steady progress in our development and recent milestones have brought us progress on things like; Pilot Reputation, Job Complexity, Improved Landscape, Weather systems and Runway surfaces, Remote bush airstrips and so much more. We'll remind you that all of our screenshots and video footage shared is work in progress and should change over time. Which we are sure you'll begin to notice as we share more and more. We spent some time stress testing the foliage amount, is 3 million trees enough? Turns out it's not and we expect we'll need 30+ million trees over the full map. Weather from inside the cockpit. If it rains, snows or is super foggy, someone needs to complete those cargo deliveries, right? When bush flying you expect to see some incredible views, and the Aurora Borealis is just one of them. 🌌 We'll see you next month for another developer update!…
- Dev Update | Day/Night Cycle - 18 February 2025
Hey bush flyers, It’s now 2025 and we are at full throttle with development of Deadstick, our goal is to make Deadstick a believable world of wonder with interesting points to discover as you progress through the game. So in our first community update of 2025 we are focusing on day/night cycle and want to share some sneak peeks at the work we’ve been doing around the scale of the game. So let’s start with the size and scale of the map. We have been planning out where mountains, lakes, valleys, and rivers are located ahead of our next step, populating the world! Things like trees, foliage, rocks, and rivers etc, will be added and we’ll be sharing snippets within our dev logs and social media channels soon. So, yes, if you think the world looks a little sparse, you are right and we’ll have updates for you in the future around this…🌲 The screenshots we have to share today show another cru…
- Flight Log #6: Hangar Then v Now - 21 November 2024
Hey bush flyers, Last month we shared some images of how our work in progress hangar was looking, and today we are here to share a further update on this. We want to show the difference that upgrading the game to Unity 6's HDRP has made and explain how we got here. Then Now Utilizing Unity's HDRP physically based materials (PBR) we are able to really improve the overall visual quality of the scene. Using this pipeline the lighting is affected by different surface materials giving us a more realistic experience. Compared to traditional materials, all PBR channels support textures which gives the material more information about how to interact with light. It breaks down each of the materials physical properties and simulates how each would interact with light in the real world. For example, a wood material would have a high diffuse and low reflectivity. PBR materials also use a shading mo…
- Flight Log #5: Unity & HDRP - 30 September 2024
Happy Monday everyone ✈️ We are reviving the Flight Log series today, and planning on bringing them to you more frequently! In today’s development update we wanted to talk a little bit about Unity and why we chose to stick with this engine as this seemed to be a common question with our announcement. We’ll also have a few images to share of some retextured High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) plane renders. Why did we choose this engine / version for Deadstick? We chose to stay with Unity so we could build on the work already done by Chris and his team and it gave us a good head start on development. We upgraded to the latest version of Unity to take advantage of HDRP. This offers many visual improvements over URP (Universal Render Pipeline) or the previously used render pipeline. Unity released this spotlight video to showcase the capabilities of HDRP. Disclaimer: This video is used…
- Deadstick - Bush Flight Simulator - Developer Update - 16 September 2024
Hi pilots, It’s been a long time since a news post has gone live, today that changes. We have a major development update for you on the status of Deadstick, and who else to bring you this information but Chris Cheetham himself. To highlight some of the main topics of this video: New Deadstick publisher, Mythwright. New Deadstick developer, Spiral House. Deadstick development updates - incoming and more transparency with the community. The reason we have decided to work on Deadstick is because we believe in it, and want to make sure it becomes a reality. Our aim is to share as much with you, our community as possible between now and launch. This will be a range of information from developer diaries, short videos/gifs, to screenshots of the game being developed - not all news will be a major update but we want to make sure you are along for the journey, you can also join us on our Discord…
- Update about Deadstick & The Irregular Corporation - 29 April 2021
Hey everyone, After working closely together on Deadstick since 2017, both REMEX and The Irregular Corporation have made the difficult decision to end our publishing relationship, with all game distribution and publishing rights returning to REMEX. A message from The Irregular Corporation - “We have enjoyed working on Deadstick over the past few years, especially getting to know the community – it’s been our privilege to witness your passion and love for the project. So thank you for your support, and also our heartfelt thanks to the entire REMEX team for giving us the opportunity to work on the game. We wish you all the best for the future!” The REMEX & Irregular Corporation Teams
- Flight Log #4: 2020 Retrospective - 15 December 2020
Hey everyone! We have opted for a slightly different format for our latest Flight Log to give you a bit more insight behind-the-scenes in to just what obstacles we have overcome and the progress that has been made on Deadstick this year 🛩️ Please find the video below! We hope you enjoy this retrospective and are as excited as we are for what's to come! We wish you lovely holidays & will see you in 2021 ✨
- Flight Log #3: Maintenance & Customisation - 16 October 2020
Challenging but Exciting Times Most of you will, I’m sure, have been hit in one way or another by the current pandemic that is sweeping the globe. I am pleased to report that the Deadstick team is all safe and well! However, it has certainly presented its fair share of logistical challenges! As a studio, we have always embraced working from home and so, in many respects, the day to day running of has remained much the same as it was. It has always been our goal however, to ramp up production on the sim and bring in more experienced hands at the right time, to add the finishing touches to Deadstick. Finding the right talent in this new world, which doesn’t include face to face meetings, has certainly forced us to adapt. Whilst we may all work from home, we have tried to keep the team reasonably nearby as there’s nothing quite like a face to face get together to solve a particular problem…
