After years of relative silence, Drift Stage is officially back in active development, with its new developer, Super Systems Softworks, for the first time since its abandonment.
Developer Super Systems Softworks has released version 0.5.0.4 of the retro-inspired drifting title, marking the first major update since the game's 0.4 release build from 2018. While the update is primarily technical, it represents a significant milestone for a project many fans feared had stalled indefinitely. More importantly, it signals the beginning of a new development phase for the long-running indie racer.
"The long gap between the last updates was due to the project coming very close to end-of-service. After the Early Access release on Steam, and the publishing deal falling through, the circumstances left no path forward. There were no new interested publishers, and my personal health issues were becoming pressing; I needed to step back and get my financials and health in order - and the funds needed to hire a new programmer were more then I was able to raise without turning back to problematic crowd-sourcing, which brings its own set of issues.
Without any kind of developer support or extra visibility, it was hard to justify keeping momentum on new updates, as there was no real plan or ability for me to work on the game by myself. I chose to step back and reassess rather than drag things out with nothing substantial to share
."
A Necessary Update For The Future
The main purpose of the update was not to introduce flashy new content, but rather to address a critical security vulnerability and modernise the game's ageing foundations. To achieve that, the development team migrated Drift Stage from Unity 2016 to Unity 2021, a substantial undertaking that also improves compatibility with modern operating systems, hardware and controller setups.
According to the developers, the security issue was primarily related to Microsoft's ageing XInput controller interface, which required significant work to bring up to current standards. The update also served as a test of the team's newly established deployment pipeline and development workflow as work ramps up once again.
In short, this release is less about new features and more about ensuring the game can continue to be developed throughout 2026 and
New Features, Even If They're Small
While stability and compatibility were the primary focus, the update introduces a handful of new features. Players can now disable menu particle effects through a new gameplay menu option, while an experimental physics toggle allows switching between Arcade and Physics driving modes.
The build also includes an early implementation of Mobile Joypad support, allowing players to connect smartphones through QR codes as controllers. For now, the feature remains largely experimental and was initially added for demonstrations during the INDIE Games Fest in Cologne, Germany earlier this year.
It may not be the most exciting feature list ever written, but considering the alternative was "game remains stuck in 2018 forever", most fans will probably take it.
Expect Bugs
The move to Unity 2021 has not been entirely painless. The developers have been transparent that several systems remain unfinished or temporarily disabled as they work through compatibility issues. Among the more noticeable problems are a missing speedometer, non-functioning music for the new "Touge Run" track, engine audio continuing during pause screens and a temporarily disabled photo mode due to soft-lock issues.
The decal editor is also currently unusable, while changing physics modes can occasionally lock up menus. Workshop functionality may encounter Steam integration issues, and Mobile Joypad QR codes currently appear before scenes have fully loaded.
In other words, if you've ever wondered what active game development looks like in real time, this build provides a fairly authentic demonstration.
What's Next?
According to Super Systems Softworks, the team has already spent the past five months porting Drift Stage's older codebase to Unity 2021, with this release representing the first major public step in that process. The immediate focus is now on bug fixing, restoring previously broken features, and stabilising the game's systems before attention shifts to new content and functionality.
The developers also reiterated plans to release a non-Steam version of the game in the future, fulfilling a long-standing goal of offering a DRM-free build. Further details regarding the roadmap for the rest of 2026 are expected in the coming weeks. For fans who have followed Drift Stage's long and often winding development journey, however, the biggest news is much simpler: after years in the garage, the project is moving again.
What do you think about this new chapter in the story of Drift Stage? Let us know in the comments down below!
