As 2025 comes to a close, we're celebrating a very special milestone: seven years of X4: Foundations! In a brand-new XLOG video, Egosoft founder and Managing Director Bernd Lehahn sits down to look back at another full year of updates and new content - including our recent Ship Packs - while also sharing a first glimpse of what's coming next.

To mark this anniversary, the X4 base game is now 90% off during the Steam Winter Sale. If you've been waiting to bring friends into the X universe, now is the perfect moment. There are, of course, also discounts on expansions as well as previous titles in the series. Check out our developer page on Steam to find all current deals!

>> 2025 Christmas XLOG: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

This XLOG also features several development insights, including:

A First Tease of Combat and Ship Changes
As part of the upcoming 9.00 update, we are beginning to revisit and refresh ship models created many years ago. With our art pipeline having evolved significantly since the early days of X4 development, it is time for older small and medium ships to receive some well-deserved attention. This transition to our current standards not only supports future facelifts and new ship features, but also allows us to rethink weapon compatibility and make more impactful balancing decisions.

At the same time, the team is working on a comprehensive rebalance of X4's large arsenal of weapons, turrets, and shields. Together with improvements to weapon mechanics, combat AI behaviours, and the user interface - including a new way of issuing high-priority combat orders - these changes aim to make space battles more dynamic, tactical, and enjoyable.

Graphics Engine Improvements
Bernd takes a moment to dive deeper into DLSS Frame Generation, a feature we introduced earlier this year, explaining how it works and why it is particularly beneficial for a game like X4.

What's next?
Development of our next major free update for X4: Foundations (9.00) is progressing steadily, and we're aiming to kick off the Public Beta phase in early 2026. As usual, we will dive deeper into all the improvements and changes that will come with this next major update once the Public Beta phase starts.

Thank you for an amazing seventh year of X4!
Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and see you in space!