Greetings Operators,
We just released our first Gameplay Trailer at the New Game Plus showcase, watch it here:
What we’ve worked on in 2025, the challenges we faced, what we learned along the way, and the direction we’re heading toward in 2026:
Over the past few weeks, we’ve run several playtests internally and with community members. These sessions taught us a lot, both in terms of bug fixing and gameplay improvements. We want to sincerely thank every player who took the time to test the game and share their feedback. We are incredibly lucky and proud to have been working closely with our community for years now, building a game that aligns not only with our vision, but also with your expectations, in a genre that continues to grow and evolve.
We know waiting for Beautiful Light isn’t easy, and trust us, no one is more impatient than the development team itself. That said, we want to move forward step by step, making sure we’re taking the right decisions. This is exactly why playtests exist: to validate (or challenge) our choices. We’ll come back to this topic in the Maps & Game Modes section.
2025: A Year of Core Systems
For us, 2025 was heavily focused on technical foundations:
Creation of a full backend and matchmaking system
Implementation of persistence systems (stash & inventory)
New PC systems
New audio system (Verticality Audio)
New AI system
Full PDA implementation: compass, health systems, raid information, map, and scanner tab
And more...
We also went through multiple optimization passes to ensure the game remains playable on hardware that matches its generation. And, just as importantly, to avoid building up performance debt that would be difficult to recover from later on. Beautiful Light is a visually ambitious game, but continuous optimization remains a top priority.
Content Progress
Weapons : APS, AS VAL, Remington, SA58, FAMAS, Mosin, SIG553, SCAR-H, F2000, and a melee knife system (light attack / heavy attack / backstab).
Customization : Many new clothing options, including the addition of face paints.
New echoes (environment anomalies)
AI Creatures : Reaver AI has seen significant improvements, even if it required a lot of iteration to find the right balance.
We are currently testing the Sheitan’s gameplay, and several other creatures are already fully modeled and animated like the dogs, the big boy and the spider like creature you've seen in leaks. The dogs will have some kind of wolf pack surrounding attack behavior, the big boy will be a tank charging at you and the spider-like creature will jump at you when you least expect it! What remains is their in-game implementation!
Maps & Game Modes
Regarding maps, the level design of the second map is nearly complete. Our level artists have already created numerous visual kits and begun detailed art passes across many buildings.
For Ground Zero, we plan to improve the map by adding several secondary points of interest. This decision was directly influenced by feedback from our end-of-year playtests.
Over the past months, we’ve identified both the strengths and weaknesses of the game mode planned for this map. Overall, we feel confident about core aspects such as PvP, movement, atmosphere, and immersion. However, over time, we’ve also felt that the current game mode can become too repetitive and somewhat “on rails.” Currently, the game mode goes as followed :
Spawn > search for the laptop > print keycard > go to bunker and enter it > turn on power > do Artifact Core room puzzle > get out of the bunker > go to extraction point and wait for the helicopter.
This loop unfortunately don't give enough freedom to the player with the only variation being where you spawn and where fights could happen. And even then, the paths and timings players had didn't really change the raid.
Because of this, we’ve decided to rework the game mode by introducing new variables to the map:
more meaningful choices during a raid
more locations to explore
and a richer overall experience
This will be a major focus at the start of 2026, and something we’re eager to validate with you through increasingly large-scale playtests.
Looking Ahead
In 2025 alone, we shared more than 80 leaks across Discord and social media. Transparency and sharing are part of Deep Worlds’ DNA.
We’re now approaching 700,000 wishlists. A number we never could have imagined, and one that reinforces our belief that working closely with the community truly matters.
2026 will be a pivotal year for us, with challenges we’ve never faced before as a studio: larger playtests, thousands of players...
We hope to live up to both our ambitions and your expectations.
From everyone at Deep Worlds, thank you for being part of this journey.
We wish you happy holidays, and we’ll see you in the new year!
DEV TIMELINE
Stay updated on the development progress with our dev timeline. >>>
https://deepworlds.studio/dev-timeline
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