First Class Trouble News

[p]Hello fellow passengers, it is nearing that time when we are commencing the big retrofit of First Class Trouble! This post will detail what is to come. It will contain both a little rundown on what this update is, why it is what it is, and explain how we will be rolling out the first update here on January 29th. which will be a technical update and the coming content updates.[/p][p]In the bottom you will find a few select patch notes, as honestly we changed so much it would be an impossible task to list them all.
[/p][p][/p][p]If we’ve done our jobs correctly, this update will feel a little bit like boarding the ISS Alithea and finding that everything looks exactly as you remember it.
[/p][p]The carpets are still plush-ish.
The drinks are still chilled-ish.
And the trouble… well, that’s still very much first class-ish - nevermind the blood ;).
[/p][p]But beneath the polished exterior, almost everything has changed a board the ship and game.[/p][p]Over the past months, we’ve been working on one of the largest and most technically ambitious updates in the history of First Class Trouble. [/p][p]It's not a content update. It is not a flashy update, but a foundational update - the kind you only ever do if you care deeply about a game’s future.[/p][p]Or, put more bluntly: the kind of update you do to make sure the ship doesn’t quietly drift into the void.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p][/p][p]This update represents the first major step in giving First Class Trouble new life - or at the very least, ensuring it stays alive and well for years to come.[/p][p]Behind the scenes, we have:
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• [p]Migrated the entire backend services and match making solutions
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• [p]Moved all player accounts safely to the new system
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• [p]Upgraded the game engine from Unreal Engine 4.24 to Unreal Engine 5.4[/p][p][/p]
• [p]So much more that we can't even remember
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[p]This has required months of engineering work, extensive testing and more late-night debugging sessions than we care to admit. At times, it felt like pulling the ship apart mid-voyage and reassembling it without letting the passengers notice.[/p][p]This is a huge update - just not a loud one that you necessarily will hear- if we do it right.[/p][p]And that’s very much by design.[/p][p]We are upgrading to Unreal Engine 5, not because it is shinier and newer, but for us to develop more content for you and also because that many of the tools and back-end services that the game run on is no longer supported so they won't work anymore. [/p][p][/p][h2][/h2][p]Not here. Yet! [/p][p]This update is about stability, longevity, and future-proofing. It lays the groundwork for what comes next. New features, content, and improvements are planned, but we couldn’t responsibly build those without first making sure the foundation was solid - quite frankly if we didn't do this the game would close down very soon for everyone; and we don't want that.[/p][p]Because this is such a deep technical overhaul, there may be stability issues we haven’t caught yet. That’s also why we’re rolling this out in stages rather than flipping every switch at once. If something feels off, strange, or unexpectedly broken, please let us know; especially on Discord. Your reports genuinely help more than you might think.[/p][p][/p][h2][/h2][p]To safely execute the migration, First Class Trouble will be offline for maintenance on:[/p][p][/p][h3]Thursday, January 29th
05:00 CET - 11:00 CET[/h3][p][/p][p]During this time, the game will be unavailable while we complete the backend and account migration. [/p][p]There is a chance maintenance could take slightly longer if we encounter unexpected issues, or if we find rogue Personoids scattering around the maintenance area or engine compartment. We'll try to keep you informed if that happens, butt otherwise just be a bit patient.[/p][p][/p][h2][/h2][p]We want to sincerely thank everyone who stuck with us while this work was underway. These kinds of updates are invisible when they go well, and very visible when they don’t, and your patience has meant a great deal to the team.[/p][p]This is part one of a larger effort to keep First Class Trouble healthy, stable, and ready for what comes next.[/p][p]More will follow because the voyage must continue - there is still champagne to be had.
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Below you will find a select few patch notes that we felt was worth mentioning as they might be something you run into.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Again, it is important to note that while the list is short this is a crazy amount of work that has been done on the back-end of the game; so this list definitely does not make it justice. [/p][p][/p][p]If there is anything weird or out of place; please tell us on our discord - listed in the bottom of this update.[/p][p][/p][p]Life is good! For C.A.I.N. and country![/p]

• [p]The game is now running on Unreal Engine 5 - good luck passengers![/p]
• [p]You can now add friends using their friend code. You can find the friend code next to your username in the main menu.[/p]
• [p]Added loading screen that is shown while the game online services are initializing.[/p]
• [p]Added block list where you can see the players you have blocked.[/p]
• [p]Christmas are over. 3 years of Christmas celebrations are enough even for even the biggest fans of the holiday season![/p]

[p][/p]

• [p]Players can no longer crouch while performing certain emotes.[/p]
• [p]Fixes for voice chat not working sometimes.[/p]

[p][/p]

• [p]Improved interaction precision. It should be a lot easier to interact with what you want in cases where there are multiple objects next to each other.[/p]
• [p]Addressed a server lag issue caused by spamming the use of cigarettes[/p]
• [p]Prevented clients from setting their own names.[/p]
• [p]Fixed final bridge interaction. The bridge should stay up if at least 1 person is still holding one of the buttons.[/p]
• [p]Fixed exploit where clients can extinguish themselves by using cheats.[/p]
• [p]Fixed champagne bottle duplication exploit.[/p]
• [p]Match intro UI no longer blocks clicks.
  [/p]

[p]We are truly thankful for your support, and if you are not on our Discord yet - hop in! It’s the fastest way to get your word through to us, as well as a nice place to hang out.
[/p][p]Thanks for reading,[/p][p]- Invisible Walls


Oh and we added a little bundle for all of Invisible Walls' games and we'll add one for First Class Trouble - so IF you want the DLC's you should get a substantial discount - so far we just have the one for all of them!
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Get First Class Trouble: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Get NEIGHBORS: Suburban Warfare: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]
Hello Residents![/p][p]We wanted to share a quick status update on the next First Class Trouble patch.[/p][p]We’re currently getting everything into certification and making sure we’re ready to ship as soon as we possibly can. This has taken a bit longer than expected, which means we’re now aiming to release the update in January 2026 - sorry for being a bit too optimistic.[/p][p]This first update is primarily a technical upgrade, focused on making sure the foundation of the game is solid before we build on top of it - as it has not been updated by the former license rights owners for a few years.

The main goals of this update are:[/p]

• [p]Upgrading First Class Trouble to Unreal Engine 5[/p]
• [p]Migrating all player accounts away from the old backend environment previously operated by Versus Evil / tinyBuild[/p]
• [p]Ensuring accounts, progression, and unlocks continue to work exactly as intended[/p]

[p]Because of this, the first update won’t include a lot of brand-new content. This step is all about stability and longevity — once everything is running smoothly, we’ll be in a much better position to roll out new content and improvements not long after.

Here is a little peak at a new model to symbolize the new update that is to come modelled by Rosa and textured by Kasper:

[/p][p]On the bright side, this means we don’t have to tear down the Christmas decorations on the ISS Alithea just yet 🎄✨ The halls stay festive a little longer: Altihea will continue for a bit in perpetual Christmas ;)
[/p][p]Here at Invisible Walls, the team is working hard to get this update ready, while also pushing forward on Neighbors: Suburban Warfare as it heads toward its 1.0 release and developing an awesome Season 6 for Deep Rock Galactic. It’s a busy time for the studio, but First Class Trouble remains very close to our hearts - it is after all our firstborn baby.
[/p][p]We’ll also be celebrating the season with holiday events hosted by our awesome moderators over on Discord! Make sure to join and follow along if you want to take part, you’ll be able to earn exclusive holiday-themed skins during these events. Moreover, we have a little holiday channel where you can share pictures of your holidays.[/p][p]As a side note then all of Invisible Walls game will go on Discount during Steams winter sale - so look out for that very soon - we are also going to try to bundle them together for some more holiday discount :)

[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Finally, we want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, wherever you are in the world. Thank you for sticking with us and for continuing to make the ISS Alithea such a lively (and occasionally suspicious) place.
[/p][p]See you aboard very soon 🚀
- David
INVISIBLE WALLS [/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Invisible Walls has reacquired the rights to First Class Trouble.
[/h3][p][c]Hi all residents - we’ve missed you![/c][/p][p][/p][p]Amazing news on the way up the elevator![/p][p]After almost four years of uncertainty, we can finally share the good news: Invisible Walls has regained the rights to First Class Trouble and we’re once again in full control of the game’s future.

We know many of you have wondered what happened behind the scenes and why the game stopped receiving updates. Perhaps one day I will be able to tell the full story of it all, but the short version is simple: after our original release, a long series of publisher issues and financial complications left us unable to continue developing the game; even though the community remained strong, and us never losing our passion for it - the game was taken out of our hands.

Like many small indie studios, we were learning as we went, sometimes naïve, always optimistic, and doing our best to keep the lights on. We built First Class Trouble from nothing - from a few people on welfare trying to make a multiplayer game that nobody thought would work - into something played by millions around the world. [/p][p]When ownership and publishing rights later shifted hands, payments were delayed and our creative control became limited. Eventually, we had to make the difficult choice to pause development to protect the studio and its people. It was heartbreaking - but necessary to survive; and in the end our decisions are based on protecting the studio and its amazing employees.

Those years were incredibly difficult for us. We poured everything we had into First Class Trouble - time, money, and heart - only to find ourselves in a frustrating situation where our baby was forcefully taken out of our hands. Payments were delayed (or most often never came), communication broke down, and we often felt powerless watching our own creation slip out of our hands by publishers with more leverage and power than us. It’s hard to describe how disheartening it is to fight for something you love while feeling taken advantage of by people who should’ve been your partners. Yet, through all of that, we never stopped believing that one day the game would come home again.

In 2025, the situation finally changed. Our former publishing partners returned the rights to us out of the blue, and we immediately began rebuilding the game’s systems to keep it alive. [/p][p]This was needed as the state of the game, when we were returned the rights, where that the game had just 3 weeks left before servers were shut down due to mismanagement from the previous rights-holder, but thanks to the incredible support of our backend partner, AccelByte, we have managed to save the servers and ensure that First Class Trouble could live on and we have started restructuring and refactoring a lot of the back-end code base.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]So that was a little bit of backstory, without diving too deep into the specifics, but let's instead talk about some more cool stuff![/p][p]

We’re back baby![/p]

• [p]First Class Trouble is once again being maintained and updated by the original team. We’re currently upgrading the game from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, improving performance, stability, and compatibility for future platforms - ensuring that the game has a long life and continues to be playable.[/p]

• [p]Super exciting is also that new content is also in the works - including a new map that we think is super cool! It is still in the early stages, but it will have everything you could expect from our previous maps.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]We are also working on various quality-of-life updates that will improve the game in different ways. Some we think could drastically change how the game is played and we believe this will open up the game for a lot more people.[/p][p][/p]
• [p]We can’t give an exact date yet, but expect news way before 2026.[/p][p][/p]

[p]It is important to let everyone know that no matter how excited we are to have the title back, then we might not be working on the game forever, but our goal is to ensure that First Class Trouble remains playable and enjoyable for as long as possible - and maybe even pave the way for what comes next after this.
[/p][h3]Thank You!
[/h3][p]Thank you for sticking with us through the highs and lows. Your support and love for the game have meant everything. We’re proud to finally say:

First Class Trouble is home again - where it belongs.

– David
CEO, Invisible Walls[/p][p]
[/p]

The Versus Evil Winter Sale is now live on Steam! Get up to 90% off!



As we head into 2024, let's have a bit of a retrospective, shall we? 2023 marks 10 years since Versus Evil was founded, and we've built quite the portfolio over the last decade. We look back on early titles such as Yaga, Cardpocalypse, and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire; we look back on recent notable titles such as First Class Trouble, Eville, and UnMetal; and now, we look forward to our upcoming slate of new releases such as Lil' Guardsman, Tamarak Trail, and Broken Roads. Whether you've been playing our games the day we started or are now just joining the fun, thank you for being on this journey with us. We're forever grateful.

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/1924360/Lil_Guardsman/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1591220/Tamarak_Trail/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989320/Monolith_Requiem_of_the_Ancients/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1220170/Eville/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/953880/First_Class_Trouble/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/560130/Pillars_of_Eternity_II_Deadfire/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1203710/UnMetal/

The Versus Evil Autumn Sale is now live on Steam! Get up to 90% off!



While you're browsing our catalog, why not check out our slate of upcoming titles if you haven't already:

Broken Roads is a narrative-driven RPG that brings exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting.

In Lil' Guardsman, imagine you're a 12-year-old, suddenly in charge of the guard shed at the castle gate, where you decide if elves, goblins and 100+ other characters should be admitted. It's a wonderful combination of deduction, narrative and puzzle games.

Tamarak Trail is a deck-building roguelike where you'll use a customizable dice set as you battle through randomly generated trails full of loot, mysteries, and danger to protect inhabitants from the evil that has corrupted the trail.

Last, but certainly not least, introducing our most recently announced title, Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients! Journey across Gliese, a mystical world under threat by dark forces in this vibrant, action RPG. With the power of the Runic Swarm in your hands, crush the minions of evil on your path to fulfill your destiny and become the planet's savior.

If you're discovering our games for the first time or missed past sales, now's the perfect time to get in!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1403440/Broken_Roads/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1924360/Lil_Guardsman/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1591220/Tamarak_Trail/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989320/Monolith_Requiem_of_the_Ancients/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1220170/Eville/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/953880/First_Class_Trouble/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/560130/Pillars_of_Eternity_II_Deadfire/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1203710/UnMetal/