There are weekends you’re looking forward to. And then there are weekends where you only realize afterwards how much they actually meant to you.
Deadline 2026 was exactly that kind of weekend for TRSI.
Already on Friday, most of our members arrived, and you could feel it right away: this is not going to be just another party. For me personally, it was very special to see Benson and Peiselulli again after 16 years. Sixteen years is a damn long time. And yet, suddenly, you are standing in front of each other again, talk for a few minutes, laugh about something, and somehow, it no longer feels as if that much time has passed.
Seeing Veto again after all those years was also really nice. On top of that, we had Doctor Soft from California in the US as a special guest with us. Someone who had already been around back in the old RSI days. When someone with such a connection to the origins is present, it is not just another name at the party. It’s a piece of history sitting at the table.
Since Hamster unfortunately could not make it to the party, Irata had to come by train. Razdee and EPR were also present, as was SvOlli, who already attended on Friday. And, of course, Madison, AnyBody, W.O.T.W. and I, Astaroth, from Berlin were also part of the party. So TRSI was already pretty well represented on Friday, and the evening quickly turned into exactly what you hope for from such a gathering: lots of conversations, lots of laughter, lots of reunions.
We talked about all kinds of things. About old times, new projects, things we might still want to do and, of course, about completely unrelated stuff as well. There were also conversations with different people. And what's that saying? “The real party is outside.” And for many of us, that's exactly what it was. That’s what makes parties like these very special. You go there for the releases and competitions, but often it is the conversations in between that stay with you the longest.
EPR surprised us right away because she had brought not just one but two releases with her: two truly wonderful graphics. Santa arrived with Cool Cat, although with a somewhat unpleasant incident shortly before reaching the party. Only about one kilometer away from Deadline, Santa had a small car accident. Fortunately, they were able to continue to the party, but, of course, you would wish for a different kind of start to a party weekend.
In general, TRSI was well prepared. Quite a few things were planned to be uploaded into the Partymaster: EPR’s graphics, the 3D demo on Amiga by Razdee, Sachy and W.O.T.W., Cool Cat’s building block contribution, a one-filer by Movax on the C64, tracked music by W.O.T.W., and, of course, the Saba Videoplay demo for the Wild Competition.
In short: we were not just there. We had brought something with us.
Saturday raised the energy even further, as Siegel and Sachy joined us as additional TRSI members. With Siegel, we talked a bit about the future of WESTPOINT, and he agreed to actively support it in the future. That really made us happy. His status was therefore changed directly from sleeping to awake. Sometimes you simply have to follow through with these things.
Upcoming projects were also discussed. Sachy, Peiselulli, Benson, Veto and Astaroth talked, among other things, about how we want to approach the invitro for Nordlicht once Arvenius gives us the motto. Of course, not everything is fully thought through yet, but that is often exactly how it starts: a few people stand together, someone throws an idea into the room, the next person expands on it, and suddenly you have another project in front of you.
A very nice moment came on Saturday before the competitions: Slaxx and Doctor Soft were welcomed into TRSI. So we now have two new members among us, which we are truly happy about.
With Doctor Soft, it almost feels more like a homecoming, considering his connection to the old RSI days. And Slaxx has more than proven himself. It just felt right. And when you later look at the group photo and see how large that circle has become, you do notice for a moment: yes, something is happening here.
Overall, Saturday was incredibly full of energy. You could clearly feel that many people in TRSI really have the urge to do something again. Not just talking, not just telling old stories, but actually starting things, continuing them, releasing them, building and creating. Many new plans were made. Some perhaps still a bit wild, some more concrete, some probably only ideas for the moment. But the energy was there. And maybe that is the most important thing.
The conversations with other people were also great. Matt, Delazy, Titus, Bodo, Arvenius and many others helped make this weekend much more than just compos and result lists. There was a lot of exchange, many ideas, old connections and new approaches. Sometimes, in conversations like these, you remember why the scene still works after all these years: because there are real people behind it, with real enthusiasm.
The night then became long, as usual at Deadline. Maybe too long. But in the end, we probably say that almost every year.
There were many strong releases across the different categories, and it is very clear that Deadline is becoming bigger, more interesting and more important year by year. At this point, the whole organizing crew really deserves high praise. What they put together there is not something to take for granted. The atmosphere, the organization, the many platforms, the people, the releases — all of that together makes Deadline something very special.
Sunday brought some great results for TRSI at the prize giving.
The Saba Videoplay demo, W.O.T.W.’s tracked music and Cool Cat’s building block contribution each reached first place. EPR reached a strong third place in the Freestyle Graphics Competition with one of her works. The Amiga 3D demo 1D2D3D4D and Choppa also achieved good fourth places. EPR’s C64 graphic additionally reached fifth place.
So, overall, EPR had an especially strong showing. And TRSI as a group was able to show that we were not only present with many people, but also contributed visibly across several categories.
In the end, one feeling remains for me above all: the weekend was beautiful. No, actually, it was more than that.
It was a weekend full of reunions, conversations, releases, small chaotic moments, new plans and old connections. It was loud, long, sometimes tiring, sometimes emotional, but above all, it was alive.
And that has been exactly what I am taking away from this weekend.
I am simply happy to be part of this group. A group that, after all these years, is moving closer together again. A group whose members want to create things together again. A group that does not only look back at its history, but is currently showing very clearly that it is still here.
TRSI is awake.
And if Deadline 2026 showed one thing … it’s exactly that.
