[luthier]

Good day gentlemen,

I have been a part of the Il-2 community since its earliest days. I remember getting excited by this project way back in 1999, just as the very first info and screenshots began coming out.

I remember the day I received the IL-2 Sturmovik Beta in the mail. I dropped whatever I was doing, closed my work, installed it on my work machine. I remember the very first mission I flew in Il-2 as if it was a second ago. Dusk, coastline below, dark black pixels of the four enemy planes outlined against the clouds on the horizon.

I remember the first time I got to fly the very first airplane I built for the game. I had fallen in love with the BI-1, and finally seeing the fruits of my labor in game, seeing all those polygons and pixels I poured so much love into materialize and become a living, breathing flying machine in my most favorite game in the world. The feeling was absolutely indescribable.

I remember the first time I finally met Oleg and set foot in the Maddox Games office. I still remember the office layout, where everyone sat, what I talked about with every single person in the room.

I remember the sleepless nights and the incredible hectic sense of the world crumbling around me in the months leading up to the release of my first very own major release, Pacific Fighters. The eerie quiet when it went to print and suddenly it was all over, replaced by the wait for reviews and community feedback.

So it is with a very heavy heart that I say goodbye to the IL-2 series today. It’s been a part of my life for so long, the one thing I cannot remember is not being a part of the Il-2 world.

I thank you all for being there with me, the fans, and especially all the Il-2 team members. I’m proud to have met and worked alongside you. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the Il-2 series for all these incredible years.

I loved every second of it.

Ilya “Luthier” Shevchenko