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The Great Steppe: v1.4.0 Dev Update

You may have noticed that we’ve recently released updates for all of our major map projects across both Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, except one: The Great Steppe.

In today’s blog post, we’d like to explain the reason for the delay and give you a development update on what’s coming in ProMods: The Great Steppe 1.4.0. This upcoming release will bring a number of significant improvements and additions that take your Central Asian experience to a new level.

Aktobe Rework

Let’s start with the biggest highlight of this update — the complete rework of Aktobe.

Aktobe is a major industrial and transport hub in western Kazakhstan, rich in natural resources such as oil, gas, and chromite. Because of its economic and strategic importance, we prioritized a full rebuild of the city to better reflect its real-world scale and complexity.

Above, you can see the results of nearly a year of work by developers Tedesco and Horizon, who carefully recreated the city from scratch. This rework brings a more immersive city layout with recognizable landmarks, key infrastructure, and detailed surroundings from the greater Aktobe Region.

Reworked Towns: Kobda & Khromtau

In addition to Aktobe, we’ve also given attention to two nearby towns: Kobda and Khromtau.

These areas have been redesigned to better match the quality of newer parts of the map, ensuring a smoother and more immersive driving experience. Bit by bit, we’re replacing old mapping with high-quality environments that reflect the character of each region.

Locality at its finest.

So what’s helping us achieve this level of realism?.. As some of you may recall, a few members of the team recently traveled to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to gather reference material. That fieldwork was essential to improving authenticity, from signage and landmarks to one key detail we wanted to get right: local vehicles.

Below, you’ll find comparisons between some of our newly added traffic vehicles and their Development Stages.

Two New Locations: Martuk & Kendirli

And as a bonus for this update, we’ve also added two smaller but brand-new locations to explore: Martuk and Kendirli.

These towns bring more variety to the network and add extra depth to your journeys through the steppe.

What’s Next?

That’s all for now! We hope this sneak peek shows just how much effort we’re putting into upgrading and expanding The Great Steppe. From field research to city rebuilds, everything in 1.4.0 is focused on quality and authenticity.

You can expect the update to be released very soon, so stay tuned, and get ready to return to the roads of Kazakhstan very soon.

“Stay tuned, and happy trucking!” – Tedesco

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Research Trips: British Columbia & Alberta

Welcome to the second post in our revived blog series! This time, we’re tagging along with one of our developers who recently visited British Columbia and Alberta, bringing back not just scenic photos, but valuable research material for the future of ProMods Canada.

Visiting Canada for the First Time… as a Developer

In July 2025, our developer, “bricksathome” had the chance to travel across British Columbia and part of Alberta. While the trip was primarily a vacation with his parents, he didn’t miss the opportunity to gather real-world reference material for the ProMods Canada project; “I’ve been a developer on the team since the project began, but as someone who lives in the UK, I’d never actually visited Canada. So, flying into a country I’ve spent years studying through Google Maps and Street View felt surreal, like walking into a world I’d only helped recreate virtually…”

After a few days in Vancouver, we picked up a Cruise Canada motorhome and headed for Vancouver Island by ferry — where we coincidentally passed the very same ferry I had modeled just a few months earlier! (Though it’s clearly had a fresh coat of paint since the reference images I used.)

Over the course of three weeks, we covered a lot of ground: Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, the Sea to Sky Highway, Pemberton, Lillooet, Cache Creek, Kamloops, the Canadian Rockies, Alberta’s Icefields Parkway to Jasper, then back to Vancouver via Clearwater and the Coquihalla Highway.

Street View to Driver’s Seat

Years of developing ProMods Canada meant I already had a mental map of towns and highways — and actually driving into places I’d only seen digitally was a strange but amazing experience. I often found myself knowing which turns to take and what to expect before we’d even parked!

Thanks to years of ETS2/ATS muscle memory, driving a right-hand-drive vehicle in Canada felt oddly natural. On top of that, being familiar with Canadian road signs and traffic rules (thanks to development work) helped reduce the stress of navigating unfamiliar terrain.

Landmarks & Regional Details

Beyond general sightseeing, I spent time capturing high-resolution reference photos of regional details that are tough to find online — things like signs, structures, and unique landmarks that help add realism and local flair to the map.

For example, the Rogers Pass Memorial features several remembrance and informational plaques, and just down the path, the Visitor Centre has a few beautifully designed benches. With full reference images now collected, both of these will be recreated in-game with much greater accuracy.

These specialized bins are found across British Columbia, especially in bear country, and are designed to prevent animals from accessing waste. They’re currently missing in-game, but not for long!

Elsewhere, I grabbed plenty of useful material from smaller towns and parks — from signage in Field and Revelstoke, to park service vehicles and trailhead features. It’s these little touches that help our maps feel grounded in the real world.

Fresh Perspective & Future Improvements

Seeing these places in person gave me something Google Maps never could, a true sense of scale and atmosphere. It helped spark new ideas and has inspired several improvements to existing areas in the map, such as the terrain around Green Lake in Whistler.

The trip also reminded me how important little details are in creating a believable world. Every small road sign, mountain silhouette, or regional quirk helps bring the map to life, and I can’t wait to implement what I’ve learned.

ProMods Canada 1.4.1 is Out Now!

We’ve just released ProMods Canada 1.4.1, bringing compatibility with the latest American Truck Simulator version.
This is predominantly a maintenance release only, no new content just yet, but it includes important bug fixes and ensures full functionality on the current game build.

We know it’s been a while since the last major expansion, and we feel the same as you, we want to see the map grow just as much as you do! A lot of progress is happening behind the scenes as we have shared, but there’s still more work to be done before we’re ready to release the next big update.

In the meantime, you can catch sneak peeks of our in-progress work on Vancouver Island, exclusively in our Discord Server.

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ProMods visits SCS Software in Prague

This past week marked a very special chapter in the history of ProMods.

For the second time ever, members of the ProMods team met up in person, but this time, it was something truly special: our first visit to the new SCS Software headquarters in Prague.

A total of 25 ProMods team members made the journey from across Europe (and beyond) to visit the creators of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator, take part in collaborative discussions, experience their studio firsthand, and strengthen the connections that make this project what it is.

Inside the New SCS HQ

We were incredibly honored to be hosted by SCS Software at their brand-new headquarters: a purpose-built space designed for creative collaboration and the continued evolution of ETS2 and ATS.

During the visit, we had the opportunity to:

  • Tour their stunning new offices and meet members of the SCS team.
  • Test drive their 4D motion simulator (an unforgettable experience!).
  • Sit down with members of SCS’s team for multiple collaborative discussions.
  • Exchange feedback, insights, and ideas on mapping, game scale, and design philosophy.

“It was a surreal experience to sit in the same room with the people behind ETS2, share what we’ve built, and learn from each other. This is the kind of creative exchange that pushes all of us forward.”

Who Was There

The meetup brought together a wide cross-section of 25 of the key members of the ProMods team: developers, founders, beta testers, marketers, and longtime contributors; many of whom were meeting face to face for the very first time.

Bringing together this many contributors in one place created the perfect opportunity to talk shop, align on future plans, and share the energy that’s sometimes hard to capture over text or voice chat.

Team Bonding in Prague

While the SCS visit was the highlight, the weekend in Prague was packed with unforgettable team-building experiences:

  • Escape rooms
  • Bowling nights
  • Sightseeing, and sharing a love for Prague
  • Team dinners and informal hangouts
  • Countless conversations, laughs, and shared moments that will carry into our future work!

“After years of collaborating online, it was incredible to finally sit across the table from teammates we’ve worked with for so long. The personal connection made everything feel even more meaningful.”

An update on the Release of ProMods 2.75:

With such a large portion of the team away from their workstations, this meetup has caused a slight delay in the next ProMods update, and as always, it’s ready when it’s ready.

We appreciate your patience and understanding. The knowledge, clarity, and renewed motivation gained from this visit are already proving invaluable, and will have a lasting positive impact on our future updates for ProMods.

We want to give a sincere thank you to SCS Software for welcoming us into your new home and making us feel like partners in the journey. Seeing your new HQ, and the passion behind it, was inspiring, and we’re proud to build our work on top of yours.

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Research Trips: Azerbaijan Edition

At ProMods, research is at the heart of everything we create. Every road layout, architectural detail, or industry depot begins with questions: What makes this place feel real? How can we represent it in-game without losing its identity?

In this first entry of our new “Research Trips” series, we’re heading to Baku, Azerbaijan, where our developer Tedesco recently visited to gather real-world reference material for upcoming expansions both for ProMods and The Great Steppe (TGS).

“Who says ProMods doesn’t do field trips?”

Our developer Tedesco is currently exploring Central Asia, gathering firsthand insights on how we can recreate specific regions that will be featured in upcoming updates to ProMods Europe and ProMods The Great Steppe.

Tedesco’s journey included a detailed stop in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, a city where east meets west, and where ancient architecture sits beside towering glass high-rises. His visit wasn’t just for sightseeing; it was an opportunity to collect on-the-ground references for road layouts, signage, infrastructure, industries, and city ambiance.

“Being physically present in a city like Baku gives us a totally different perspective,” Tedesco notes. “It’s not just about what the streets look like… it’s how the city moves, what it sounds like, how traffic flows, and what kind of logistics facilities actually exist.”

What we looked for.

During his visit, Tedesco focused on several research areas:

  • Main transport arteries – ring roads, highways, and access routes to the port
  • Road infrastructure – traffic signs, street lighting, and pavement types
  • Cultural identifiers – language on signage, local architecture, and vegetation
  • Depots & industry – oil facilities, truck yards, warehouses, and customs zones

Some of this information is hard to gather accurately through satellite imagery or online photos alone — especially in industrial zones or areas with limited coverage. Being there in person helps fill in the blanks.

Tedesco’s field trip wasn’t just about facts — it was also about atmosphere. What does it feel like to drive through Baku? What distinguishes it from any other capital city in the region?

Next Destinations?

After Azerbaijan, the research trip is set to continue across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, especially focusing on regions relevant to The Great Steppe map. These visits will help us create even more authentic road networks and industries across Central Asia.

This is just the beginning of our Research Trips blog series. Whether it’s the Caucasus, Central Asia, or beyond, we’re committed to capturing the real-world details that make your journeys in ProMods feel like real trucking adventures.

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