Yesterday, 1C Game Studios provided us with a developer blog detailing some of the latest work going on on IL-2 Sturmovik: Siege and Liberation. They also make an interesting tease about some future content that the team are working on for the series. Let’s have a look and discuss.

Current project status

Siege and Liberation is currently well underway and four aircraft have now been released for the product. Currently the team are completing efforts on the Bf109E-4 and Ju87D-5 aircraft. They also report that the IL-2 Model 1944 visual mode is complete and flight model are in progress. The last aircraft in development is the La-7.

Meanwhile, the Leningrad map (being done by a third party group whom I interviewed in 2023) is well underway. The map area has grown slightly as needs for the career mode require an extra 11,000 square kilometres on the southern edge of the map for a realistic campaign. This required 180 additional settlements (villages, towns, etc.) and 11 more airfields. Apparently this work has been done without pushing the release date.

The dev update also mentions work being done to tidy up the textures, the airfields, and build the scenery for Leningrad itself.

Other Great Battles content on the way

While its undeniable that the 1C Game Studios team is mostly focused on their next generation Korea IL-2 project, it does seem that the rumours are true that some additional Great Battles content is on the way.

This fall we’ll have the news about new winged engines, and there will be more engines than usual. There will also be news for those who are especially interested in the Great War – unexpected and pleasant additions to the map and the aircraft, huge aircraft!

This is, of course, a slightly cryptic teaser that has caused the community to speculate significantly on what might be in the offering. Rumours have been circulating, unsubstantiated so far, that the Finnish map may see a companion B-239 or even a G.50 added into the mix. Meanwhile, the suggestion of “more engines than usual” suggests that a twin or multi-engine aircraft could be in the offering.

I’d caution against being certain what these offerings could be but it is fun to speculate – we could easily guess the range from the Pe-3 or TB-3 to B-25, B-26 or B-17. Are any of them likely? I’m not sure. I’d also suggest that its not likely that we’ll see anything even on the scale of Siege and Liberation come around again. But a few additional Collector Planes to fill out the mix a little further would be welcome. Particularly if they are more unique offerings.

The Great War offering is likely related to the team’s previous mentioned plan of bringing an airship to sim. That would indeed make Flying Circus into something a bit more unique as it and its predecessor have not, to date, offered a Zeppelin.

We’ll learn more this fall.

Until then, check out the latest diary here.