Hi Folks, This will likely be our last (and smallest) development update, as we plan to shift to beta testing and porting over the next two months. However, I think we may have saved the best feature for last! Play Editor / Creator Customization is one of the three main pillars of Axis Football. Previous versions have added all sorts of ways to customize teams, players, leagues, playbooks, and more, but Axis Football 2026 will be the first version to allow the creation of custom plays.


Rather than type out the features, I made a quick walkthrough video to explain both the use and functionality of the play editor. [previewyoutube=TwL-WAW_dlc;full][/previewyoutube] For those of you interested in modding/sharing your custom play and playbooks, I made a second video explaining that process. [previewyoutube=9ck9-KwupX4;full][/previewyoutube] If these updates have you excited for Axis Football 2026, please go ahead and add it to your wish list! Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan Founder & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2025-05-15 13:32:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, Im excited to bring another update on what weve been working on for Axis Football 2026! In this update, well be discussing the new Franchise Mode features and changes! Trading Draft Picks Draft Picks could be traded in previous versions of Axis Football. The problem is that the underlying system that managed the picks was not sophisticated enough to track or differentiate traded picks beyond the first trade. So if a user wanted to trade a pick that they acquired from another team, there was no way to differentiate between their original pick and the one that they received from another team. This left trading picks near or during the draft as problematic and frustrating. In Axis 2026, we are happy to announce that users will have control over the specific picks they wish to trade. When selecting draft picks to trade, users will be shown how many picks a team has available for each round. If more than one pick is available, a secondary window will appear that shows the history and origin of each pick, so users can select the exact pick they want. Additionally, several windows in the draft screen have been adjusted to show the origins of picks that have been traded to other teams. Note that picks can be traded an indefinite number of times. So if Pittsburgh traded their pick to Arizona, then Arizona traded that pick to Dallas, the pick would show: PIT > ARI > DAL. Finally, Axis 26 will allow trading picks during the live draft. (Trading was previously disabled during the draft due to the limitations of the previous system.) So now, users can exit the draft in progress to trade up for a pick!



Simulation Engine Upgrades This is a smaller change, but one we felt was worth fixing and mentioning. The off-field simulation engine in Axis 2026 will now take a teams play calling weights into consideration when simulating the game. Previously, a generic play calling strategy was used, but if a team is more run- or pass-focused, they could be at a disadvantage in the simulation. This change will allow teams a lot more individual identity and have that identity reflected in their team and individual stats. Franchise Salary Cap Most professional sport leagues employ the use of salary caps to help balance the talent levels across the league. In Axis Football 2026, users will have the option to enable salary caps to do just that. Cap space will be visible in a few different places to allow the user to make informed decisions regarding the management of their team. The salary cap feature is completely optional and may be disabled in the settings.

Trade Requests This feature might be the one I am most excited about, and judging by the number of times it gets suggested in feedback, I think users are going to like it, too! Axis Football 2026 will feature trade requests from AI-controlled teams. We spent a significant amount of time writing the logic for teams to offer trades that made sense for both parties. This involved ensuring that a reasonable number of requests were generated, the trades were relatively fair, and that the requests targeted players or draft picks that were consistent with both teams goals. To that end, we added logic to determine whether a team felt like it was competing for a championship, whether it was in a rebuilding phase, or somewhere in between. Teams in championship mode are more likely to sacrifice future success for a better chance to win now, and teams in a rebuilding phase are likely to do the opposite. The trades offered will be commensurate with these goals. Trade requests will be generated each week, and may be available only for that week or for several. (Teams can decide to rescind their trade.) When a trade request is available, a green exclamation point will show next to the Personnel tab on the Franchise Dashboard. When viewing the Personnel tab, the Trading Card will indicate that a trade request is available. Once the trading window is open, there will now be two tabs: one for offering trades, and one for viewing trade requests from other teams. Trade requests can be accepted, rejected, or countered. Counting a trade loads the offer into the trade window and allows the user to make modifications. Finally, no trade requests will be made during the playoffs, but trade requests will resume again during the offseason as teams go through the draft and free agency periods.

Draft & Free Agency Player Pool Strength Recently, one of the more consistent pieces of feedback weve been working with is in relation to the draft classes and free agency player pool strengths. Some users note that the pools were too weak, while others say they were filled with too many good players. Both were correct, which means there was too much randomness in the generation script, so we decided to start from scratch. The previous algorithm tended to generate binary players that were either superstars or average. It could generate B or B+ players, but they were rare, and its these B players that make up a lot of the second and third rounds of real drafts. Axis 26 will feature a brand new algorithm that does a much better job of creating a balance of players in the proper proportions. Additionally, we felt like the strength of the players in both the draft and free agency should be in the hands of the user, so we added two settings to allow control over the strength of the players in both pools. These changes should make for a much more realistic and exciting draft and free agency period.
Franchise Settings We respect and appreciate the amount of time users invest into their franchises. Hours and hours of playtime can make up a single season, and we built the game to be able to extend into the future indefinitely. Franchise Mode in Axis Football offers a variety of settings, but in previous versions, these settings were available only at the start of a franchise. Several users have requested the ability to change some of the settings in their franchise after its been created. To that end, we added a settings window where all of the editable settings can be adjusted. These franchise settings will be saved along with the franchise itself, so you could have one franchise that uses 5:00 quarters and another that uses 10:00. Additionally, you can toggle unlimited funds or salary caps on and off as you desire or adjust the strength of the draft or free agency pools. We hope these quality of life improvements makes it easier for users to engage with their franchise!

If these updates have you excited for Axis Football 2026, please go ahead and add it to your wish list! Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan Founder & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2025-04-07 17:00:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of winter, as we anticipate the weather warming up! It's been a couple months since our last update, and I'm excited to share what we've been working on! New Player Portraits For the past few years, the player portraits in Axis Football were generated from a 3D modeling software that simply wasn't capable of producing photorealistic images. The portraits were serviceable, but not great to look at and failed to deliver the simulation quality we strive for. We are happy to announce that Axis Football 2026 will feature over 1,000 brand new, photorealistic player portraits. This is a small change that adds a surprising boost to immersion and realism. The 1,000+ portraits will be divided between five different skin color / races, then further divided into smaller and larger player types. That means that portraits of smaller players will only be applied to players with weights on the lower end and vice-versa.


New Announcer Several years ago, we implemented an ambitious announcing system that featured the legendary voice of Terry McGovern. The performance of the voice talent was great, but the way we set up the system often resulted in segmented, robotic, or unnatural sounding commentary. We are aware of what we did wrong, and we know what we did right. So, it is with that in mind that we set out to completely revamp the entire announcing system in Axis Football 2026. This includes writing, recording, and editing a brand new announcing script that has been updated to include all of the features that we have added over the years. We will be leaning heavily on the talents of our amazing audio engineer, Nick, who has already elevated the crowd audio to an unbelievable standard. We will also be utilizing a new announcing voice: Andy McNamara, who has been working with us for a number of years help to announce live eSports and Sim League events. At this point, we have completed about a 25% of the script, and the audio quality, delivery, and implementation are already a noticeable improvement. We will continue to update and post samples as they become available. Onside Kicks & Kickoff Conversions Outside of the NFL's infamous "Tush Push," the onside kick is probably the most controversial play in modern football. Many fans have called for its removal altogether, and several spring leagues (XFL, USFL, and the current UFL) provide conversion alternatives to the kick. In previous Axis Football titles, we offered the option to select onside kicks, but in all transparency, the play never looked good and was difficulty to convert - even more difficult than the actual onside kick. As we looked at process for improving the existing onside kick in Axis Football, we also considered the alternatives and spoke with many community members to get their feedback. Historically and as a general rule, our approach to potentially adding replacement features like this is to offer both and give users the option of which to use. However, after taking everything into consideration, we decided to deviate from precedence due to overwhelmingly consistent feedback and various other factors. With all that said, Axis Football 2026 will not offer onside kicks. Instead, teams will have the option to attempt a kickoff conversion. This option will be available following the PAT and will only be offered to teams that are losing in the fourth quarter. Teams selecting the kickoff conversion option will need to convert 4th & 12 from their own 28 yard line. Internal testing, combined with data and feedback from professional leagues that utilize this type of kickoff conversion, all indicate that this option is much preferable to the traditional onside kick. We love it, and we think you're going to love it, too!
Beta Gameplay Footage We know everyone is eager to get their hands on the beta version of Axis Football 2026. While we aren't quite ready to begin testing, we did want to share some of the footage we captured from our internal testing. The video is available on the Axis Football 2026 store page! If these updates have you excited for Axis Football 2026, please go ahead and add it to your wish list! Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan Founder & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2025-03-12 14:45:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, I sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Here at Axis Games, we took a nice break and enjoyed lots of time with family and friends. We are now back to full-time development, and I'm happy to share some of the things that we've been working on since our last update. Player Nameplate Upgrade This is a small update, but one that adds a lot of value. Visible in the image below, player nameplates have been given a much-needed upgrade. In addition to the player's name, their position and number will now be shown. This should be helpful in identifying specific players, and the team-colored background helps make it more visible.

User Action Indicators One of the goals we have for Axis 2026 is to increase the engagement and enjoyment when controlling players. To address this, we've added a new User Action Indicator feature. These indicators will pop up whenever a specific action can or is about to happen. Here's how it works: whenever certain user-controlled players are in a position to or are already about to perform an action, an indicator will pop up above their head with a button, the name of the action, and a progress bar. If the user holds the specified button, the progress bar will fill up (it fills up quickly). If the progress bar gets full before the action starts, the player will get a temporary boost in the appropriate attribute for that action only. For example, in the image below with the CATCH user action indicator, if the user can hold A long enough to fill the green bar before the catch starts, the receiver will gain a small, temporary boost to their catch attribute for this catch attempt only.


The purpose of this feature is to make gameplay more interactive. Consistent feedback has revealed that some find playing defense in Axis 2024 boring, so this allows user input that is meaningful and provides a reason to control a player on defense - in addition to making actions on offense more rewarding. Indicators will show for a variety of different actions including, but not limited to: catch, break tackle, tackle, defend / intercept pass. For spectated matches or matches played in Code Mode, User Action Indicators will not show. Additionally, the feature can be turned off in the options if desired. Finally, for players who still wish to sit back and let the AI controll all 11 players on defense, we've added in the ability to completely deselect a player. Before the ball is snapped, players can cycle between which player they want to control. Cycling through all of the players will deselect any players. At any point, the user can press the A/X button to select the nearest defender to the ball. Star Player Indicators Another small upgrade we've added is an indicator below star players on the field. The indicator is the Axis Games 'X' logo and will be visible under players who have an A or A+ rating. Generally, teams have between 0-2 players in this category. The indicator is helpful in identifying players to avoid or target when reading the field pre-snap.
Pass Trajectory, Lob Passes, & Pass Type Display The final area that we worked on for this update was related to passes. We spent time working on the pass trajectory, ensuring that both short and deep passes used the proper angle and speed. Additionally, we added the lob pass type. Users and AI can now utilize three pass types: normal, bullet, and lob. To throw a normal pass, press and release the pass button. To throw a bullet pass, press and hold the pass button. And to throw a lob pass, double press the pass button. To visually identify which type of pass is thrown, a small display will accompany lob and bullet passes. These changes help improve the overall pass game, as different pass angles and speeds are needed in various situations.
If these updates have you excited for Axis Football 2026, please go ahead and add it to your wish list! Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan Founder & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2025-01-08 14:23:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather! This is definitely my favorite time of the year Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, lots of time with family, and plenty of football to watch! As with all of the previous updates weve released, our focus for Axis Football 2026 is to address the areas of the game that the fan base says need improvement. We have said in the past, we believe that success happens when a company meets the needs of the customer, and it is our goal to make the football game that you want to play. To that end, this update will cover a variety of areas that all address specific requests from the community. AI Play Calling The previous version of Axis Football featured a new menu for controlling the play calling weights for various down and distances. You could set percentages for run, passes, and specific types for each. These weights were used when the AI was in charge of calling plays for that team. In terms of giving users control over how the AI called play for their team, it was a large step in the right direction, but the feedback remarked that the system was incomplete and often failed to capture the complex strategy that is necessary in a nuanced game like football. To address that, we are happy to announce that weve made several improvements in this area. First, users will find two new sections on the play calling weights screen: Aggressiveness and Goal Line. In the Aggressiveness section, users will find five sliders that control how aggressive a team will be in various game situations.

• 4th Down Aggressiveness controls how likely a team will go for it on fourth down. In normal game situations where going for it on fourth down would be conceivable, this slider will determine the teams likelihood of going for it or punting. Note that this slider controls only normal game situation fourth downs. Decisions related to going for it on fourth down while trailing at the end of the game will not be affected by this slider.
• Losing On Offense Aggressiveness controls how aggressive a team will be on offense when losing. Traditional football strategy dictates a shift to a pass-heavy offense when trailing by a couple scores. This slider controls how quickly (by score margin) a team will shift to passing more when losing.
• Losing On Defense Aggressiveness controls how aggressive a team will be on defense when losing. This involves a shift to higher risk / reward defensive plays in an effort to stop the offense or make a big play.
• Winning On Offense Aggressiveness controls how aggressive a team will be on offense when winning. Traditional football wisdom sees teams that are winning by a couple of scores shift to a run-heavy offense to eat away at the clock. This slider controls how quickly (by score margin) a team will begin to shift to running the ball more when winning.
• Winning Of Defense Aggressiveness controls how aggressive a team will be on defense when winning. When teams are winning by a couple of scores, it is not uncommon for them to shift to a safer coverage defense designed to guard against deep throws or quick scores from happening. This slider controls the how quickly (by score margin) a team shifts to this type of defense when winning.

A note on the four offensive / defensive sliders and the transitions to different types of offensive and defensive schemes. These transitions are not binary, meaning that when a team decides that it is winning by enough that it should run more, it doesnt mean that it will only pick running plays. The transitions are gradual and affected by the score margin. The higher the winning margin, the more likely they are to run. The sliders simply determine when the transitions begin, and how quickly they should be applied.
The second new section users will find under the Play Selection Weights window is a category for Goal Line. This was common request from the community, citing that logic and strategy for goal line situations needed its own category. Additionally, we addressed some other concerns related to goal line situations. When looking at current strategies in professional football, teams at the goal line will sometimes bring in Jumbo sets that feature an extra lineman and/or three tight ends. At other times, teams will bring in several wide receivers and spread the defense out. The previous goal line plays in Axis Football didnt allow for either option. In additional to the new goal line category for AI play selection we have also added new goal line formations that match current pro football strategies. This includes a spread goal line set, a jumbo set with three tight ends, and a single back goal line set that is flexible enough to keep the defense guessing.

The final new feature in this area is related to general AI defensive play selection. In the previous Axis Football, normal defensive play calling was directed by the sliders set for that team and the down and distance. For example, on longer distances to go, defenses would except a pass and would shift into a nickel or dime set. A major flaw in that system is that the defense attempted to match personnel based on the down and distance instead of simply looking at the offensive personnel on the field. So in a second and short situation, if the defense comes out with four linebackers and four defensive backs, and the offense has three or four wide receivers and a good receiving tight end, there is going to be a huge mismatch if the offense decides to throw the ball. These breakdowns in defensive strategy would often lead to big plays that hurt the realism of the game even if all of the players on the field did the right thing. To solve this problem, we spent a lot of time re-categorizing all of the offensive and defensive sets and plays to ensure that the defense could make the right decisions based off of offensive personnel, down and distance, and various other game situations. In our testing, we have already noticed a huge improvement in this area, and we are excited for you to get your hands on it! Depth Chart Positions Perhaps one of the most-requested features from the community surrounded the separation of positions on a teams depth chart. In the previous Axis Football, similar positions were grouped in the depth chart (e.g., all linebackers were grouped, all offensive linemen were grouped, all defensive backs were grouped, all running backs were grouped, etc.). In an effort to better simulate professional football and its intricacies, we have split these generic position groups into their specific positions with their own formulas for calculating the players overall score.

• Running Backs (RB) are now split into Running Back (RB) and Full Back (FB)
• Offensive Linemen (OL) are now split into Tackle (T), Guard (G), and Center (C)
• (Note that users still have specific control over which players play left or right tackle, etc.)
• Defensive Linemen (DL) are now split into Defensive Tackle (DT) and Defensive End (DE)
• Linebackers (LB) are now split into Inside Linebacker (ILB) and Outside Linebacker (OLB)
• Defensive Backs are now split into Cornerback (CB), Free Safety (FS), and Strong Safety (SS)

Plays & Playbooks In our last update, we covered the work we did to overhaul the plays and playbooks coming in Axis Football 2026. At the time of the update, the formations were finished, but we were still adding plays to the game. We are happy to announce that weve finished that process. Axis Football 2026 will feature over 100 formations, well over 1,000 plays, and new default playbooks to choose from. The playbook editor we added to the previous Axis Football will still function as it did, allowing you create your own playbooks from these new formations and plays.
As always, we would love to hear your feedback! Feel free to reach out to us using any of the platforms below! Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan President & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2024-11-11 15:54:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, I hope everyone is enjoying the turn of the weather and the start of the NFL season! I wanted to share what weve been working on for the past few months. In April, we started a three part series where we unveiled some of the gameplay changes we had been working on. After a brief delay, were finally ready to share the third and final part of the series: Routes, Plays, and Playbooks. Our goal with this series of updates was to raise the overall quality and fidelity of the gameplay on the field. We wanted the players to make better decisions, we wanted their movements to be more dynamic, and we wanted them to look better doing it! In the first two parts of this series, we already shared that we added run, pass option plays to the game and completely overhauled the QB / RB handoff animation sequence. In this final update, were going to take a broader look at offensive plays. Routes Our goal with Axis Football is to replicate the highest levels of professional football. When we compared our offensive playbooks with what we were seeing in professional football, there was a big gap. This starts with individual route assignments. Simply put, our routes and instructions were basic, covering only what a pee-wee team might need. Axis 2026 will contain loads of new (and more modern) types of routes and blocking assignments. You can expect sluggos, crooked routes, whips, angles, tables, spots, and much, much more. While new routes are fun, the feature were most excited about in this category is the addition of new Block and Release (BAR) routes. These routes will show up in blue on your pay art and designate that a player (RB or TE, usually) will first look to pass block for a short period of time before releasing to run the designated route. BAR routes are versatile tools for an offense, as they allow for protection against a potential pass rush without the downside of keeping too many blockers back to defend. I can tell you from a lot of play testing these routes, theyre a lot of fun and create a lot of dynamic plays!


Plays The next step up from individual routes is plays. If our routes were basic, then our plays were outdated much better suited to capturing football around the turn of the century. This led to predictable gameplay that rarely flashed moments of surprise. To fix that, we needed to overhaul the plays and the way we organized the data that comprised a play within the game. To make a long story shorter, the solution in this case was to completely revamp the entire code structure for how play data was stored and transferred to players. This meant that every single play from Axis 2024 was removed and we started from scratch. Beginning with formations, there are now over 75 offensive configurations (nearly doubling what the previous Axis had). More importantly, the personnel within these formations much better aligns with current professional football. You will see 2 RB sets, 2 and 3 TE sets, modern uses of FBs and more! Weve made likewise changes to the depth chart to support these improvements, but thats a topic for another update. For each of the 75+ offensive formations, you can expect there to be an average of 15-20 plays per formation. That totals to a number that is well in excess of double the size of the plays in the previous Axis. Furthermore, with the addition of the new routes above, weve been able to create a much more dynamic set of plays that better captures the wide array of offensive strategies that a lot of different teams employ. Youll see draws, misdirections, designed QB runs, modern route combinations, and so much more!


Playbooks With the update to the plays and formations available, we were able to make similar changes to the playbooks. In an effort to provide better strategic options out of the box, weve increased the number of default playbooks available. As with the previous Axis version, you will be able to utilize the built-in playbook editor to manually craft new playbooks from scratch or edit the provided ones to suit your individual team(s) needs. I will note here that we are also making several improvements to the play calling weights that control how the AI select plays, but that will come in a later update. Player Behavior & Logic The work for this update took quite some time. Hand-coding over one thousand individual plays takes a lot of time, but the real reason this update was so long in coming is because of the freedom I allowed myself when making the plays a freedom that I havent been afforded when working under a yearly release schedule. Let me explain. My workflow for adding new plays was to focus on a single formation and code three plays at a time. Once a set of plays was coded, I tested each one several times against different defensive sets to make sure players were doing the correct thing. And thats where the rabbit holes started popping up In the past, I was forced to have a higher threshold for what was considered acceptable player movement and behavior, due to the fact that I couldnt allow myself to be derailed from the current project or feature I was working on. As I tested these new plays, I didnt have a looming release pressuring me to disregard the slight errors or issues I noticed. When I didnt like the way players looked coming off the ball (combined with previous feedback that player acceleration was unnatural), I implemented new animations for players coming out of their stances. When players made illogical blocking assignments, I rewrote the decision-making or handled the edge cases that the defense presented. When I didnt like the way hitch routes worked, I scraped the current system and rewrote it. There were many more examples. What happened over the months, as the new animations and improved movements gradually raised the collective bar of the acceptable standard, I continued to find small areas to improve. And thats how an update that was intended to be finished a months ago stretched into the fall months of 2024. I am very pleased with how everything has improved, and I know we will continue to iterate on the gameplay as our new standard for excellence drives us forward. Let me leave you with a short video of a sample play that illustrates some of the improvements mentioned above. I didnt record this video with the intention of using it here, but I think it fits nicely in this update. [previewyoutube=JFO2LSZKyAI;full][/previewyoutube] As always, we would love to hear your feedback! Feel free to reach out to us using any of the platforms below! Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan President & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2024-10-28 14:14:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, First, I apologize for the delay in the updates. My original goal was to post one update roughly every month, but weve been battling some malware on our website, and that delayed this update. In the previous two updates, I mentioned that we would be unfolding a three-part series of related updates. In lieu of unveiling the last of the three parts, were going to pivot slightly, as the third part of that series isnt quite finished. Instead, Id like to share some of the other changes weve been working on. First, our graphics got a nice boost due to some lighting and rendering changes weve implemented. The shadows are crisper and more realistic, theres now realistic lighting glares and reflections, and there is much better contrast between the colors. Overall, the game looks better than ever and really raises the overall quality of action on the field. Additionally, we got a brand new field with updated graphics that make everything look much more realistic. Second, we spent a large amount of time refining player movement. We focused our efforts across three main areas: initial moves / acceleration, avoidances, and pivots. For initial moves, we added dozens of animations that players will use when the ball is snapped as they are coming out of their initial play stances. We have received a lot of feedback regarding the unrealistic and unnatural acceleration that players often have off the ball. These new animations create much more realistic movements off the ball and make the game look a lot better. This also allows for much better player interactions on the line and more natural pockets and holes to form. For player avoidances, we wanted to address some of the logic and movements related to players surrounding the ball carrier and tackler. Well now see that players will hop to the side (or sometimes even over) players involved in a tackle to avoid them. These movements like a lot of the other changes add a level of detail and realism that helps bring everything together. Finally, we added several new transition and pivot animations that players will use as they change directions especially on defense. Previously, players that were strafing in pass coverage would often pivot unrealistically to change directions. Weve added a series of transition animations that not only make the game more realistic, but provide accurate timing for reactions.



The final part of this update relates to stadiums and crowds. We are happy to announce that we have a brand new crowd system coming in Axis 2026. In order to understand the benefit of this new system, it is necessary to explain the way the old system worked. Previously, we were using GPU instancing to render thousands of the same spectator model in the stadiums. GPU instancing allowed us to have large numbers of fans but required us to essentially bake the animations beforehand instead of having them play dynamically. This limitation prevented us from being able to change the colors of the fans which is why all stadiums in Axis 24 had fans wearing the same generic colors. On top of that, fans played a continuous loop of cheering regardless of what was happening on the field. Additionally, because each of the spectators was an individual object, the file size of each stadium was really large. Spectators made up more than 90% of a stadiums file size. The new system is a completely different approach and allows us to do a lot of great things. First, the file size of the stadiums is now unaffected by the spectators, which essentially reduces their size by 90%. This allows us to have different stadium variations for different times of day and weather types something we did not have previously. We can now have changes to the stadium and specific lighting settings based on those conditions. Second, spectators can now be colored based off of the home team. This is a great addition that allows for increased levels of immersion. Finally, the new crowd system also allows for some new features. The crowd will now animate based on what the players on doing on the field sitting idle if theyre bored or cheering for something exciting that happened. Theres also a density control parameter where the population of the crowd can be controlled by how popular a team is. As Ive mentioned before, these are just some of the updates were working on. In the next update, I plan to reveal the third part of our previous series. Until then, we would love to hear what you think about these changes! Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan President & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2024-10-28 14:01:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, Last update we mentioned that we would be unfolding a three-part series related to overhauling offensive gameplay. Part one revealed the addition of Run, Pass Option plays to Axis Football. With part two of the series, we are pleased to announce that we have completely rebuilt from scratch the entire handoff sequence between the runner and the quarterback. In order to understand why this will be such an upgrade for the game, I have to first explain that the previous version of Axis Football (Axis 2024) was using only two different handoff animations. The process for getting the QB and RB to sync involved telling each player to run to a specific spot on the field while the QB checked for proper distance and positioning before transitioning to the handoff animation. While this worked, we were severely limited with the types of interactions we could create between the players. Additionally, the authenticity of the movements was compromised due to the generic nature of the two animations we had. After all, the movements to hand the ball off to a deep RB is much different than handing it to a FB in the Weak I or even to the same RB out of Shotgun or Pistol. The solution is to use motion capture on two players (QB and RB) to record the synced movement in the same way that tackle or blocking animations are done. This allows for precise, authentic movement that boosts immersion and realism. Axis 2026 boasts over 40 newly recorded handoff interactions covering a variety of positions, formations, and play types. We already revealed the addition of RPO plays, but these new handoff animations also allow us to add in new play types like delayed handoffs (Draws) and play action QB keepers.






As I mentioned at the beginning of this update, todays news is a part of a three part update. Stay tuned as we unfold more information about new features coming in the next version of Axis Football. We would love to hear from you about this and chat with you about your ideas for the future of Axis Football. Feel free to use any of the links below to get in touch with us. Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan President & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2024-10-28 13:55:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, This update will be one part of a three part update that will unfold over the next couple of months. In Axis Football 2024, we completely redesigned the entire defensive playbook. This was a part of an effort to modernize the defensive formations, personnel and schemes. As we have reiterated in the past, our goal is always to best simulate football at the highest level, so that means continually updating strategies and styles to stay current. Our development update today focuses on the offensive side and like our efforts last year these changes aim to modernize and update the offensive formations, personnel and play types. Without further ado, I am pleased to announce that we have added RPO (Run, Pass Option) plays into Axis Football. These plays will have their own designation in the playbook and will be available in most shotgun formations.

Heres how RPOs work in Axis Football. First, it is important to understand that RPOs are run plays, not pass plays. Its not a run-pass option play. Its a run with a pass option. That means that linemen will run block and the user (or AI) will have a small window at the start of the play to choose to throw the ball. After all, if the QB waits too long, linemen will likely be down field and will be guilty of committing and illegal man down field penalty. When the ball is snapped, the receiver indicator buttons will immediately appear over their heads, and the QB and RB will engage in their handoff animation sequence. If no user input is detected, the QB will proceed by handing the ball off to the runner, and the play will progress as a normal run play. If the user decides to throw before the handoff occurs, the QB will transition out of the handoff sequence and make the throw. The decision of whether to let the run play unfold or throw will depend on the actions of key defensive players. Users (or AI) must read the defense before the snap and during the first couple seconds of the play to determine whether handing the ball off or throwing it will yield the higher probability for success. As I mentioned at the beginning of this update, todays news is a part of a three part update. Stay tuned as we unfold more information about new features coming in the next version of Axis Football. We would love to hear from you about this and chat with you about your ideas for the future of Axis Football. Feel free to use any of the links below to get in touch with us. Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan President & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2024-10-28 13:49:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, I sincerely hope that everyone is having a great start to the spring season. We have been hard at work here at Axis Games, and I am excited to share that a long-requested feature will officially be in the next version of Axis Football: Instant Replay! There have been countless times weve seen an amazing play unfold on the field, and we would have loved to be able to watch it again now we can! To access instant replay, users can simply open the main menu and select the Instant Replay option.



We would love to hear from you about this and chat with you about your ideas for the future of Axis Football. Feel free to use any of the links below to get in touch with us. Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/ Best, Danny Jugan President & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2024-10-28 13:43:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Folks, In an effort to better communicate our goals and development of Axis Football, we plan to utilize these dev blog posts to share whats going on at Axis Games. Axis Football 2024 is out on all major platforms (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch), and after a handful of patches and updates, weve reached a stable build. The current patch on Steam is v3.5, and the same update should soon be pushed to the other platforms. We will continue to monitor Axis 24 and update as needed, but our main focus has shifted to the next version in the series. Since 2015, we have released Axis Football annually, and Axis Football 2024 was our ninth consecutive title. Our goal every release was to add enough new content and improvements to warrant a new purchase. As the game has improved each year and the areas for easy improvement have disappeared, this task has become more and more difficult and expensive. This is a good thing, as it is evidence that the game is in a much better place, but it does present us with a situation that we cannot ignore. Traditionally, our development cycle has followed a consistent pattern. We release a new game in August or September, then spend the next 3-4 months supporting the game with patches and updates. Following that, we spend the next 5-6 months working on features for the next version. That leaves about 3 months for testing, porting, and releasing before the cycle repeats. With the current state of Axis Football, it is very difficult to add enough new features and improvements in 5-6 months that warrant a new purchase, and we are not interested in releasing a version that simply has an updated title with new colors or menus. So, after a lot of thought and discussions with community members, we have decided to adjust our traditional release schedule. We will not release a new version of Axis Football in 2024 and will instead take that time to overhaul several systems that need to be rebuilt from the ground up. The next version of Axis Football will be Axis Football 2026, and it will release in August of 2025. Over the next few months, we will continue to update you on progress, but I can share that we have plans to revamp many of the on-field animations, movements, and logic. We plan to add new play types like RPO and a complete play creator! Other features include new crowds in stadiums, an overhauled menu system for the franchise dashboard, new franchise features, and much more! We would love to hear from you about this and chat with you about your ideas for the future of Axis Football. Feel free to use any of the links below to get in touch with us. Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV]https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/ Best, Danny Jugan President & Lead Developer, Axis Games

[ 2024-10-28 13:34:57 CET ] [ Original post ]