Death From Above 1.0 takes off on February 22

Lesser Evil :

Munich, Germany - February 8, 2024. Lesser Evil publishing label and Rockodile Games announce their plans to release Death From Above, an arcade-style combat drone sim set during the Russia-Ukraine War, on Steam on February 22, 2024. 

Death From Above launches after nine months of Early Access development, securing a 96% Very Positive rating before the full launch. The chosen release date will mark the two-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement comes accompanied by a brand-new 1.0 launch trailer:

https://youtu.be/O6fN3VJkEO4 

In Death From Above, players step into the shoes of a Ukrainian drone operator stranded behind enemy lines. Deep into the occupied territory and armed only with a UAV remote control, you will seek and destroy vehicles, reclaim communication towers, and retrieve stolen equipment — all as part of the battle for the freedom of your country.

Made by a Finnish studio in collaboration with Ukrainian developers, and published by a German company, Death From Above is an unambiguously political project and part of Lesser Evil's commitment to leverage video games as a medium for meaningful impact. Learn more by listening to Lesser Evil CEO Hendrik Lesser’s talk on why developers have a political duty.

Lesser Evil and Rockodile are donating 30% of DFA’s proceeds to Ukrainian charities Come Back Alive and Army of Drones, pledging to increase donations to 70% of the proceeds once the title breaks even. The developers have already donated more than €10,000 to Ukrainian charities during the game’s Early Access development. 

To ensure authenticity, Lesser Evil and Rockodile made a point to involve numerous Ukrainian military tech companies and NGOs, such as Aerorozvidka and GIS Arta, in the Death From Above development. In addition, the team commissioned an exclusive title track from a popular Ukrainian rock band Antytila.

Death From Above also set the precedent as the first game ever on Steam to feature a Crimean Tatar localization, created by members of the indigenous population of Crimea, Ukraine.

Media quotes

"The game is groundbreaking in broaching a serious conversation among gamers and game developers." — Dean Takahashi, GamesBeat

"Satire is finally an effective means of countering the ubiquitous Russian information warriors. The Russian troll will be defeated at its own game.", Der Standard

"Want to contribute to Ukraine’s war effort? In these games you can", The Economist

"Gaming company boss Hendrik Lesser announces a new drone fighting game - and demands more attitude from his industry colleagues." — Markus Böhm, Der Spiegel

"At the same time, the point of it isn't profit, so much so that Lesser floats the idea of making the publisher a formal non-profit or foundation in the future." — Brendan Sinclair, GamesIndustry.biz

About Death From Above

Death From Above is a single-player action military simulator game about drone warfare set during the Russian-Ukrainian war. Play as a Ukrainian military drone operator cut off behind enemy lines, fighting invaders, salvaging equipment, and restoring crucial communication lines disrupted by the conflict.

But that's not all! What sets Death From Above apart is that it's not just a game but also a means to make an impact! 30% of the net proceeds will be equally split between two Ukrainian organizations supporting non-offensive aid to the Ukrainian Armed forces: Come Back Alive and Army of Drones. This way, you can feel confident that your purchase contributes to a worthy cause. We will increase this contribution once we’ve broken even on the game, sending 70% of our net revenues to these good causes. The remaining 30% will be invested in further developing the game.

Death from Above is developed by Rockodile Games with help from Octobear Knight Games, produced and published by Lesser Evil.

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About Lesser Evil

We are Lesser Evil. We are uncompromisingly anti-authoritarian, anti-racist, and pro-democracy. We publish video games with clear political or social intent and messaging. Video games are this century's most widespread, impactful, and important cultural medium. As works of human expression, they should be emotional and make the player feel something.