Updates from the Treehouse

Dear birbs,
The year 12,024 of the Human Era is coming to its end – and what a year it has been!

(The timeline of humanity)

Looking Back at 12,024 – Video Content 
This year, we released 24 videos on our English channel, exploring a wide range of topics. From existential questions like “Do You Have Free Will?” and interstellar mysteries like “Is the Universe Infinite?” we also took an honest look at Smoking, Vaping, and Weed. Every video was crafted with lots of love, combining hours of research, animation, and passion to create content that sparks curiosity. In our video "We Fell For The Oldest Lie On The Internet", which we shared with you Patrons before anyone else, we took you along on the sometimes surprisingly complex research journey behind a video.

Behind the scenes, our flock has grown to over 70 birbs working in our offices in Munich, Berlin, and remotely across Europe.

We continued releasing localized videos on our international channels to make science and humanism accessible to as many people as possible. In November, we were thrilled to win the German Video Day Award for Best Animation for our German channel – a recognition we’re incredibly proud of!

We also continued experimenting with our short-form content, covering a wide range of topics.

(Drama in three acts – excerpt from storyboard)

But Wait, There Was a Lot More!
This year wasn’t just about video content. One of our proudest achievements was the 12,025 Human Era Calendar. This wasn’t just another product – it was a 10-month creative journey, starting with brainstorming and ending in the release of a tribute to the resilience and adventure of our ancestors as they migrated from East Africa across the globe.

For the first time ever, we also created Behind-the-Scenes videos available on Patreon, giving you a glimpse into how the calendar (watch it here) and other videos came to life (coming in January).

12,024 was also a year of bold new projects. In March, we announced our collaboration with Toukana Interactive to create StarBirds, and in June, we revealed that the game is a cheerful asteroid base-building and resource management adventure. You’ll guide a colony of spacefaring birds to mine asteroids, create production networks, and explore interstellar horizons. If you haven’t already, make sure to wishlist it on Steam!

We also launched exciting new products: the Curiosity Guide in May, followed by the Survival Kit for the Future in August, and the Existential Collection in November. And let’s not forget about the three limited edition pins.

Beyond the studio, our team gathered for our annual Summer Workshop Week in July. It’s our time to brainstorm, bond, and learn from each other. Some of us also attended inspiring events and conferences like the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, re:publica, The Art Department in Berlin and Eindhoven, and the OMR in Hamburg. Maybe we'll see some of you there next year?
Two of our birbs visited the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva and had inspiring chats about particle physics, the universe, antimatter, and the Higgs Boson.

In September, we held our second-ever global kurzgesagt meetups, where birbs from around the world connected with like-minded individuals and perhaps even formed new friendships. Seeing the community come to life like this makes us so, SO incredibly happy!


(This is not a drill – concept art for ... a drill)

Looking Ahead to 12,025 
January will be dedicated to recalibrating – refining our processes and setting goals for the year ahead. Right now, seven videos are in various stages of production, including another hour-long audiovisual experience, similar to our "4.5 Billion Years in 1 Hour" video from 12,023.

And, of course, there’s StarBirds! Launching in the second half of the year!

12,025 also marks a major milestone: the 10th anniversary of our calendar! To celebrate, we’re planning to make the next Human Era Calendar our most amazing, yet.

For you, our Patrons, we’re focusing on bringing you even closer to the Treehouse. Expect more behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks into game development, and perhaps even exclusive products.


(Concept art from our Superintelligence video)

Thank You for an Incredible Year 💖

What makes all of this possible? You do. Your curiosity, enthusiasm, and feedback inspire us to continue working hard and explore new ideas.

As 12,025 approaches, we’re filled with gratitude for this incredible community. Together, we’re sparking curiosity about the universe, humanity, and the world we all share.

Here’s to another year of curiosity, creativity, and connection. Thank you for being part of our journey – we can’t wait to see what we’ll build together in 12,025.

With love from the Treehouse,
Your kurzgesagt Team