Looking back at the last 5 years of development

tip of the iceberg for what has been launched, added, improved and updated in Elite Dangerous

2014

Elite Dangerous launched!

Throughout the year, we introduced a bunch of new features: Community Goals allowed the whole Elite Dangerous community to work together, towards goals which influence the wider galaxy.

Wings enabled pilots to fly together and share their rewards in joint efforts.

Powerplay ushered in an age of Commanders being able to pledge allegiance to one of the many Galactic Powers, battling for interstellar conquest, power and control As a result of the Dangerous Games - a new player-created Power was introduced: Yuri Grom.

Fearless pilots embarked in gladiatorial contests in CQC.

New ships, mission types, beautiful Starport interiors and so much more was added towards the end of the year leading on the way to...

2015

Engineers emerged, offering their services to commanders wanting to take their modules and ships to the next level!

A number of additions arrived not long after, from Capital Ship Dockyards to ship-launched fighters, Neutron Stars and the lovable space whale , the Beluga.

, the Beluga. The Holo-Me commander creator gave a face to each and every commander, some cool, some stylish... and some hideous!

...Speaking of hideous... THARGOIDS! The Thargoids returned and resulted in the Aegis organisation launching massive-scale Community Goals to create Anti-Xeno weaponry to combat the arrival of this menace!

2018

Chapter One - Focused feedback from the community helped us introduce a number of revised features. We said goodbye to beige and welcomed in an array of different coloured planet surfaces. New COVAS were released to provide a different personality for your ship (we still love you Verity). The Tech Brokers and Material Traders opened shop, ensuring commanders could have what they needed... when they needed it!

- Focused feedback from the community helped us introduce a number of revised features. We said goodbye to beige and welcomed in an array of different coloured planet surfaces. New COVAS were released to provide a different personality for your ship (we still love you Verity). The Tech Brokers and Material Traders opened shop, ensuring commanders could have what they needed... when they needed it! Chapter Two - Thargoid Scouts encroached on human space - a new enemy that could buff and assist each other in combat.

- Thargoid Scouts encroached on human space - a new enemy that could buff and assist each other in combat. Chapter Three - More Guardian mysteries were unveiled with the discovery of the Guardian Beacons and the creation of the Guardian Fighters, which were created to take on the Thargoids.

- More Guardian mysteries were unveiled with the discovery of the Guardian Beacons and the creation of the Guardian Fighters, which were created to take on the Thargoids. Chapter Four - Squadrons were introduced, allowing players to form a Squadron of like-minded commanders and focus their efforts in a particular area of the game. Exploration and Mining were totally overhauled with features like the FSS and planetary probes, identifying excellent mining spots and deep core mining for all the juicy goodies inside an asteroid.

2019

The Starter Experience provides a safer space for cadets to earn their wings and begin their Elite Dangerous career.

New modules, such as the Advanced Docking Computer and Supercruise Assist, and the Pilot’s Handbook have made it easier for newer commanders to get a better understanding of how one pilots a ship in the 3300s.

Interstellar Initiatives gave commanders opportunities to have greater control over the narrative of the game, introducing new stations, a living Generation Ship, modules and rare goods.

Infographic - A glance at 2019!

Messages from the team

Zac Antonaci, Director of Publishing - "I joined Frontier back towards the launch of Elite Dangerous and it has truly been one of the most incredible experiences, seeing the community grow and develop over the years. They have done so many genuinely amazing and inspiring things, it’s impossible to pick just one. Some of the my favourites have been:​

The many varied styles and purposes of Player Groups, the first Distant Worlds expedition, the Dangerous Games. Raising incredible amounts for good causes through community fundraiser/streams, crazy events (like climbing up mountains!) and getting involved in 24 hour livestream. The community coming together at events like Lavecon, ECM, Fantasticon, Gamescom, PAX, EGX, Frontier Expo and many more. The combined effort of so many people in the community to make young Commander Holyland’s final days ones of excitement and passion. These, and many more examples, are why I am proud to be a part of the Elite Dangerous community."



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Lucy Bugby - Technical Artist - "This video. CMDR BurkeBlack first saw the Galactic Map with such a genuine reaction of amazement. It makes me feel great about working on this project!"​ - ""​

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Derin Halil, Game Designer - "The Distant Stars Expedition of 3303 had players journey to a previously unreachable star which had just changed thanks to our addition of FSD supercharging with Neutron and White Dwarf stars. The journey was a one-way trip and players all self-destructed in unison at their destination. I placed a permanent wreckage site at the group’s final coordinates and a Tourist Beacon at the point of no return for all other commanders to see. That’s what’s great about working on Elite Dangerous – working on a game that has such dedication and enthusiasm from its players and allows us to immortalise the actions and feats of those commanders."​

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Lloyd Morgan-Moore, Producer - "I have a good memory; getting to meet the players who were excited about the game coming to PS4 at Frontier Expo 2017. The game wasn’t even out yet but the community was brimming with passion for the game. It was clear it meant a lot, and it was great to be able to talk to members of the community in person. The same goes for any players I’ve met. I’ve come across random people out in the public who love the game and were super happy to find out I worked on it... which is a wonderful feeling!"​

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Laura Massey, QA Manager - "Elite Dangerous will always have a special place in my heart. I don’t directly work on ED any longer, but I learnt a lot about my discipline throughout my work on the project. Working on Elite Dangerous helped me to make long-lasting friendships with other members of my department and the rest of the Elite Dangerous team."​

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Rich Benton, Producer - "The best part of working on Elite is the community. Even at the pre-launch phase, their support was incredible! For example, members of the community generously acquired us pizzas, and a big highlight for me was meeting some of our players at the launch party (turns out that some were, unexpectedly, from my home town)."​

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Nathan Hutchinson, Graduate Game Designer - "One of my favourite moments was watching the community's reaction when they first discovered The Golconda Generation Ship, and how well they picked up on a lot of the small details that we added."​

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Christopher Andrews, Server Developer - "My favourite part of Elite Dangerous is the community that has grown around the game. People who truly care about the galaxy and how it evolves. It’s both thrilling and humbling to see the reaction to each content update and story development. I can’t wait for the years to come!"​

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Eddie Symon s, Senior Producer - "I have some fantastic memories of working on many great additions to the game, like the return of Thargoids, deep core mining, Holo-Me, planetary landings and so much more. All of which really highlights the thing I love most about this game – that thanks to the support from our community it can still continue to grow and expand even after all this time."​

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Dav Stott, Head of Online - "To work so closely, for so long, on Elite Dangerous has been the most amazing journey, and I have learned so much from a large team of talented and creative people that all pulled together to bring this game to life. Elite Dangerous is an online game, and the Online team's responsibility for keeping the various platform and game servers running smoothly is satisfying and yes, occasionally hair raising. A personal highlight is that I was allowed to implement a lot of the server simulations that underpin core features like commodities, outfitting and factions that are still going strong after 5 years and countless player actions."​

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Adam Woods, Executive Producer - "My favourite memory is being robbed by Commander Xizor. We had opened up anarchy systems as part of the beta releases, and a group were blockading a port. I jumped in to see what was going on, and he stripped my shields and demanded my cargo. I gave it to him, at which point he realised who I was (my Commander was Adam Woods). "Adam Woods, as in FD??" "Oh snap, I just mugged a FD employee "​ - ""​

What have the community been doing?

Events

Player Groups

Charity

Honourable Mentions

Community Goal and Competitions

Imports for Year’s End Festivities - Deliver Animal Meat, Fish, Fruit and Vegetables, Beer, Lavian Brandy, Anduliga Fire Works and Eranin Pearl Whisky to Davies High in the Reorte system.

- Deliver to in the system. Security for Year’s End Festivities - Deliver Bounty Vouchers to Davies High in the Reorte system. Start Date - 12 December @ 15:00 (UTC) End Date - 18 December @ 15:00 (UTC)

- Deliver to in the system.