PlayStation vs steam releases

[coder4u]

Hi!

I play Liftoff on PlayStation 5 using the Radiomaster Boxer and I must say it's a fantastic simulator. I've completed the solo campaign entirely and would love to continue in multiplayer. I have a few questions:

1. Is there cross-play with players on other platforms? Whenever I enter multiplayer, I never seem to find anyone.

2. What's the update schedule like for PlayStation compared to Steam?

3. Why isn't Ukrainian language available in the PlayStation version?

4. Are there plans for an update that will enable compatibility mode for PS5 instead of PS4?"

[LuGus Studios]

Thank you for the kind words and for your excellent questions.
While both games share some content and features, they are very much different games in many regards. The PS4 version is not a port of the PC version.

1. No cross-play; the physics and flight systems work slightly differently in both versions, and there's no full content parity between them. Achieving a balanced multiplayer experience that merges both games would be challenging.

2. There are no further updates scheduled for the PS4 version, as it's a last-gen game playable on PS5 but not specifically designed for the PS5. The console release of Liftoff arrived mostly as a finished project and received its initial first-year post-release updates afterward.

3. The console release of Liftoff happened in 2020 when our Liftoff simulators had minimal usage in Ukraine. With a limited budget allocated for additional languages, we prioritized our focus on our largest markets at that time.

4. Currently, no. While the Liftoff franchise is performing amazingly well, our console release is, by far, our least successful among the Liftoff lineup. There doesn't seem to be a great match between console players' expectations and the type of experience that Liftoff simulators typically offer. Additionally, console development is highly complex, slow, and expensive. The platform doesn't offer the same possibilities in terms of rapid update schedules and long-term support that Liftoff fans are used to receiving from us (as your questions demonstrate). Right now, consoles like the PS5 don't seem to be the most obvious platforms for us to focus on. Instead, we're directing our development time and resources into projects that we believe will have a stronger impact.

[coder4u]

Thank you for the detailed response.
Now I understand much better the difference between the PlayStation version and the PC.
Looks like I'll have to buy the Steam version of the game and upgrade my MacBook from Intel i7 to M2/M3. 🫣

But it's definitely worth it 🤘