- Monthly Brief: September 2026 - 2 September 2026
August turned out to be an unusually busy month. We're heading into September in a position we've been working toward for a long time: heads down, all hands on deck, building Faction Wars.Over the past several months, we've shared a lot about the ideas taking shape behind Faction Wars. A larger universe where battles have consequences, Factions compete over territory and resources, and individual missions contribute to something much bigger than a single match. The first proper prototypes are underway, and we're currently aiming to begin internal playtesting and iteration in September. There is a lot to build, test, rebuild, and balance. QoL and Growth UpdatesIron Rebellion was selected as a Horizon+ Monthly Featured Game in August, introducing tens of thousands of new Quest players to the battlefield.Putting that many new pilots into the game at once gave us a much clearer picture of t…
- Offline Mode V1.1668 - 28 August 2026
Offline mode implemented. If you're offline, you'll be able to host your own matches and when you're online back again game should automatically go back to online. Attempted fix of dead matches that never end.
- SIM Gaming Expo: Chicago, IL USA - 18 August 2026
We're 30 days out from the SIM Expo in Chicago (Sept 18-20) and wanted to remind everyone that Black Beach Studio be there. This will be the first on-site appearance of our team at an event and we'd love to see some community members there! We won't just be showing the game, we'll be unveiling Iron Rebellion on a DOF Reality H4 unit - a project that we've been working on behind the scenes for months. No longer will you have to imagine what it feels like for a mech to boot up with you in it or what it feels like to explode on the battlefield. This will be the most immersive experience of the game to ever exist - and we are hoping it will be a permanent partnership. If you're interested in going, please let us know. We want our community to have first dibs on signups in the unit. Anyone in the community is also eligible for a ticket discount for the Expo with the code SGE15 on the SIM Gam…
- Hotfix Patch Notes: August 14, 2026 - 17 August 2026
Implemented new team killing warnings with a punishment system in place to prevent team kills.Indicators in place (shown above) and a kick system will deploy.Small QoL to reticles to identify a teammate inside a zoomed-in reticle.Improved cockpit's message horizontal alignment. Fixed a bug where players could start others' matches by starting the last training mission.Added a small rumble feedback whenever you grab the cockpit controls and the middle lever.Implemented bHaptics improvements and new sensorial events. Updated telemetry feedback.In addition to this, we've submitted Iron Rebellion for Steam Frame verification....now we get back to PvE full-swing. More updates coming soon!
- UI and QOL Hotfix - Playerbase Update - 1 August 2026
I'm sure you've noticed that there has been an influx of Meta users today. Iron Rebellion was selected as one of the two free Horizon+ games for the month of August, which is really bada**. That being said, please welcome all of our new players and make sure they have a great time. We love seeing this community grow! A note to also let you know that we did push a few updates live yesterday: New UI to show progression (image attached)Bugfix to completely remove the ability to join a room that was already fullYou now get gracefully kicked as a spectator if the spectators mode gets disabled during a matchInitial default comm line volumes were increasedBackend improvements to avoid a race condition involving joining lobby match room that is closedLet us know if there's anything concerning happening with the build. We're around on Discord. Happy piloting!
- Monthly Brief: August 2026 - 29 July 2026
"Faction Wars is turning out to be bigger and more exciting than I anticipated." – GamerTag PvE DevelopmentDevelopment on PvE and Faction Wars continues to move forward as we begin connecting individual missions to the larger gameplay systems behind the universe.This month, much of that work has focused on prototyping how resources, territory, and progression could interact across the galactic map. The goal is to create a system where winning or losing a battle has meaning beyond a single match, contributing instead to the larger success of your Faction. Right now, we're experimenting with two interconnected forms of progression. The first is territorial: Factions work to establish and maintain a supply line from their home world toward the Aperture, securing the resources needed to progress along the way. The second is personal progression, where controlling specific types of territory…
- Iron Rebellion | Observer Update - 23 July 2026
For the first time, you don't have to be sitting inside a cockpit to be part of the fight.The Observer Update introduces a brand-new spectator mode, allowing players to join live matches as dedicated observers with a free-fly camera and spectator-specific controls. Whether you're introducing a friend to the game, capturing cinematic footage, hosting community events, or simply watching the battle unfold, Iron Rebellion can now be experienced from a human scale and closeup - something players have never seen before. But this update is about more than spectating.We've continued refining the systems that give each player more tools to make more strategic and intelligent decisions on the battlefield, leaning deeper into the sim-style immersive experience the game is intended to be. From a completely rebuilt minimap intelligence system to gameplay optimization, every battle feels smoother th…
- Monthly Brief: July 2026 - 1 July 2026
"It is important to make sure the fundamental game modes are as fun as possible so when we place them under the meta gameplay, the drive to succeed comes from both top down and bottom up." – JustinPvE DevelopmentDevelopment continues to move steadily forward as we refine the core PvE experience.One of the biggest milestones this month has been balancing the difficulty curve across our game modes. We're beginning to stabilize the experience between Easy, Medium, and Hard, while giving each PvE enemy a more distinct identity through unique behaviors and combat styles. The goal is for enemies to feel different not only visually, but mechanically, creating encounters that require players to adapt rather than rely on the same strategy every time.Of course, as development continues and we're testing new ideas, not everything works perfectly the first time.One area we've been refining is how e…
- Monthly Brief: June 2026 - 1 June 2026
"Enemies are almost smart enough that we'll need less of them... as it's getting too brutal." — Jesus PvE DevelopmentDevelopment of our PvE game modes continues to move forward, with a major focus this month on enemy behavior, encounter design, and overall game flow. We've made significant improvements to the AI systems that power our new PvE enemies, while continuing to refine the three game modes currently in development. New enemy types are beginning to take shape, including a scout and patrol drone designed to search for players and call in reinforcements when threats are detected.The team has also been experimenting with new movement behaviors and combat patterns that make encounters feel more dynamic and engaging. Enemies are becoming more durable, more coordinated, and more capable of applying pressure to players throughout a mission. In fact, our internal testing has reached a p…
- Monthly Brief: May 2026 - 1 May 2026
Monthly Brief: May 2026This is our first Monthly Brief, and we’ll be sharing these regularly as development continues. Our goal is to give more visibility into what we’re building and where things are going. Our recent work has been centered on expanding the game as a whole and creating more opportunities for involvement with the Iron Rebellion community. Here’s what we’ve been working on. New Features We are actively working on the addition of secondary enemies and PvE game modes, something the broader community has been asking for since before launch. There are a variety of secondary enemy types that are being built. Flying enemy drones and ships, as well as various ranged and melee ground units such as walker drones and tanks. Each has separate animations and actions as well as particular ammo types like ballistics, energy, and explosive. They feature various traits as well, with som…
- Iron Rebellion | Evolution Update - 16 April 2026
If you haven’t stepped into the cockpit since launch, this isn’t the same Iron Rebellion. Over the past year, we’ve been steadily rebuilding and expanding across every layer of the game. We’ve built upon what we started, listened to the community, brought on more team members, and really took things to the next level. From core systems and performance to new modes, maps, and customization, this isn’t the same experience players saw at launch. Over the past year, we’ve rolled out major updates including: New maps and full environment overhauls8v8 Warzone battles with massive performance improvementsNew game modes like Deathmatch and Gun GameDeep mech customization with a full camo system A complete AI overhaul (to begin laying the foundation for PvE)Continuous UI, interaction, and optimization improvements across the board And yes, fully functional cockpit coffee machines. Every update h…
- The Iron Rebellion Battlefield is Expanding - 13 March 2026
\ Black Beach Studio is excited to announce a long awaited, and highly requested single-player/co-op expansion that is coming to Iron Rebellion in 2026. This expansion is a massive installment that takes everything we learned from PvP and builds upon it with an entirely new PvE universe. This new universe goes beyond individual matches and creates a space where players fight for control over worlds and conquer the stars.The core PvP game we have today has only been the training grounds for the war that is coming. We’ll have much more to reveal later this year.If you’re new to Iron Rebellion, there’s never been a better time to jump in and sharpen your combat skills. For now, consider this your heads up.Stay ready, pilots.Keep up to date with Iron Rebellion via their website at iron-rebellion.com
- Hotfix for blackscreen issue - 2 February 2026
Hotfix for backscreen issue when two players are spawning on reinforcer mech at
- Bug fix - 29 January 2026
1/9/2026Bug Fixes & tweaksGameplay & BalanceFixed black screen issues when joining matches that could cause the host to black screen and break the match for other playersFixed team balancing incorrectly placing players on the same team after exiting FFA or Gun Game matchesSpawning & MovementReworked reinforcer heavy spawning logic to significantly reduce cockpit jitter, spinning, and unstable spawn behavior
- Bug fixes and balancing changes: - 24 January 2026
Bug Fixes & Balancing ChangesGameplay & BalanceCloaked mechs can no longer be pinged while cloakedCloaked mechs now dispel any existing pings when activating cloakEMP no longer destroys turrets — turrets are disabled for 5 seconds insteadEMP targets now gain a 15-second EMP immunity cooldown after being hitTurrets are now correctly peaceable while inside shields againScanners can no longer be placed inside buildingsAI & SystemsFixed AI not firing at turretsFixed custom slot count algorithm across all game modesImproved and optimized reconnection logic to reduce disconnect issuesWeapons & EquipmentFixed reticle style in Gun Game when artillery was equipped prior to match startFixed smoke launcher textures on QuestVisuals & RenderingFixed cloaked mechs not appearing cloaked to other playersPossible fix for dynamic objects rendering black in matches (cockpits & other mechs)Fixed visual iss…
- Small patch - 10 January 2026
1/9/2026Fixed lobby player sorting breaking when exiting single team gamemodes Turrets that fall below the map now get destroyed Added more checks for turret placement in order to prevent turret placement within buildings or overlapping turrets Added missing FFA and Gun Game mission briefs Fixed extraction laser flickering in tutorial Fixing tutorial uplink "win" condition Improved AI navigation in Abandoned sector Oh and Happy new years!
- Foundations Update - 19 December 2025
12/19/2025 AI/PVE The update also includes a complete AI systems overhaul to serve as the foundation for Iron Rebellion’s expanding PvE direction. With new behavior profiles, adaptive threat response, and moment-to-moment context awareness, AI units now support more reactive, varied, and engaging encounters across every existing mode and all future cooperative experiences. Game ModesTwo new gameplay modes, Death Match and Gun Game, introduce more accessible and low-pressure ways to play. While team-based PvP remains central to Iron Rebellion, these modes open the door to a much broader range of gameplay styles. NetworkingSupporting all of this is a full networking rewrite, separating the backend from its previous team-dependent structure. This gives the studio the technical room it needs to grow, experiment, and introduce new game types in upcoming releases. Keep an eye our for news on…
- Hot fix - 5 October 2025
Small AI performance change to all server hosts
- V1.15 Update Warzone 8v8 mode - 29 September 2025
Warzone 8v8 modeIncreased player cap to 16 up from previous 8This allows for way more action packed matches, supported by all maps and gamemodesIn order to get this to run on Quest hardware we had to do an absurd amount of additional optimization, but PCVR shares a lot of the benefits here New Intro ScreenUpdated our old welcome board screen to better onboard new players and show latest featuresAdded 3 quick training scenarios for getting to know the basicsInteraction improvementsMade multiple improvements to hands interaction with UIEasier button and smoother button clicking,hands automatically go into “clicking” pose when near UI, same with grabbable objectsImplemented button highlight when the hand is hovering close UI to clearly show what’s clickableTons of optimizationWe managed to improve performance on Quest hardware by up to 25% in some casesPCVR performance should be significan…
- V1.143 Coffee and Hand Improvements Update - 28 August 2025
V1.143 Coffee and Hand Improvements Update Added Fully functional coffee machine to all heavy cockpits,Includes self-cleaning mechanism so you can continue fighting without worrying about your pot's cleanlinessVery drinkable,Improved hand functionality,Pointer finger extends now when moving to press anything with an open handImprovements to hand gestures as you approach objects makes for a much easier experience for people learning the system and even for those that have mastered it!This small update is something we really wanted to do. Those who know us know that our last updates have been huge, mission-critical things, and we love to be adding new mechs, new maps, new game modes, new cockpits, entire custom paint systems, or whatever your favorite recent update was. However, with such a huge and monumental shift for the very essence of the game coming up, we wanted to spend some time…
