Genesis Week Closing Announcement: Full

Happy Genesis Week, everyone! Thank you to every player who joined us, participated, competed, collected, created, tested, watched, and celebrated with us. Genesis Week is always a special moment for Upland. It is a time to look back at where we have been, celebrate how far we have come, and, most importantly, look ahead at where we are going.

This year’s Genesis Week has been one of our biggest yet.

Over the past year, we have delivered more developer updates, feature releases and app improvements, than ever before. And Genesis Week brought that momentum into full focus. From major system previews to historic city launches, new ways to decorate, new ways to connect, and a clearer look at the future of Upland, this week was packed from start to finish.

While today marks the closing announcement for Genesis Week, the celebration is not quite over yet. Players will have the weekend to turn in their prize reward recipes, so don’t forget to craft them. Reward recipes will close on Monday, June 15 at 9:00 AM PT, and rewards will be distributed next week.

Now, let’s look back at everything announced during Genesis Week, recognize this year’s community award winners, and reveal the grand prize winner of the rare White Friesian Horse Genome Trove reward.

Troves and TroveMania

Genesis Week kicked off with the reveal of Troves, a major new gameplay system coming to Upland in 2026.

Troves are designed to become a connective layer between ownership, development, and location, bringing these parts of Upland together in a new and meaningful way. During Genesis Week, players had the opportunity to help test this future system through TroveMania, giving the community an early hands-on look at what is coming next.

Thank you to everyone who participated and helped test the future of Upland.

Three Cities, One Historic Launch

For the first time ever, Upland launched three cities simultaneously.

Omaha, Florence, and Takasaki all joined Upland during Genesis Week, each bringing something unique to the map while expanding the foundation of farming. Each city specializes in a different aspect of farming, helping set the stage for future gameplay and deeper development across the platform.

Phase One of Map Asset Collision

We also introduced Phase One of Map Asset Collision in Upland.

Players can now place items on grass, and objects on the map can stack and intersect with plants. This is a huge step forward for property decoration, giving players more creative freedom and allowing for more detailed, nuanced, and expressive builds.

We are already looking ahead to Phase Two, where even more map assets will be able to stack and intersect, taking Upland decor to the next level.

Read more about the Map Asset Collision Update.

A New Upland Website and the Return of the Merch Store

Genesis Week also brought a fresh new look for Upland with the launch of our new website and the return of the Upland Merch Store.

The new website is built with future growth in mind, making it easier than ever for new players to understand what Upland is all about. And with the merch store back, players now have a new way to rep Upland in real life.

Discord Comes to Upland Native Chat

We announced that Discord is coming to Upland native chat, helping bring the community closer together.

This move will make it easier and faster for new players to connect with the broader Upland community. Select Discord channels will be accessible directly through Upland, allowing players to view discussions and, eventually, communicate with the Discord community from inside the app.

It is a major step toward uniting the Upland community like never before.

Read more about Discord coming to Upland.

3D Movement and a Living Upland Map

Finally, we revealed a major development feature currently in progress: 3D movement.

In the future, Upland will feel more alive than ever, with animal life and Uppies moving in real time on the map. Players browsing the map will be able to see Uppies assigned to properties caring for plants, animals moving within structures on farms, and more activity unfolding across the world.

This is an important step toward making Upland more dynamic, more immersive, and always changing.

Community Awards

Now it is time to recognize this year’s Community Award nominees and winners.

These nominees represent the creativity, passion, personality, and dedication that make the Upland community what it is. Whether they are designing incredible creations, producing content that keeps players informed and entertained, or showing up as standout members of the community, each nominee has made a real impact.

Designer of the Year Nominees

Swarley129
CHARLES_FR
Reb8t

Broadcaster of the Year Nominees

Mint to Be Podcast, hosted by CityPigeon
Upland After Dark, hosted by L_slack
2Stupid4Web3, hosted by 2Stupid2Win

Player of the Year Nominees

Laban
PHIL009
Masschef

Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees. Being recognized by the community is no small thing, and every nominee has helped shape Upland in their own way.

Everyone on this list deserves to be celebrated. But there can only be one winner in each category.

And the Winners Are…

Designer of the Year: Swarley129

Congratulations to Swarley129, this year’s Designer of the Year!

With consistently beautiful designs and an incredible volume of high-quality work, Swarley129 has become one of Upland’s marquee designers. If you have spent time decorating in Upland, chances are you have seen his designs — and probably used them.

Swarley129’s creativity, consistency, and impact on the look and feel of Upland make him a well-deserved winner.

Players can check out his work in his shops: Swarley’s Shenanigans for decor and Swarley’s Structures for ornaments.

Broadcaster of the Year: Mint to Be Podcast

Congratulations to the Mint to Be Podcast, this year’s Broadcaster of the Year!

Hosted by CityPigeon, with Vapehiguy and Landgrab23 Puppet, Mint to Be has consistently brought entertainment, information, and energy to the Upland community.

What makes Mint to Be stand out is not only the quality of the show, but also its commitment to promoting other community broadcasts, hosting community meetups, and creating a space for respectful discussion and community dialogue.

Mint to Be Podcast has become a major part of the Upland conversation, and this year, they are taking home Broadcaster of the Year.

Subscribe to the Mint To Be Podcast here.

Player of the Year: Laban

Congratulations to Laban, this year’s Player of the Year!

As the creator of Uplytics.org, Laban has built tools that help the community gain insights, connect with one another, and access the information players want and need.

Visit Uplytics:
https://uplytics.org/

Beyond his work on Uplytics, Laban also helps produce Upland After Dark and continues to support players throughout the community. His contributions have made him a true staple of Upland, and his impact is felt across the ecosystem.

Congratulations, Laban!

The White Friesian Horse Genome Trove Winner

Now, the moment many of you have been waiting for.

The rarest Genome Trove reward during Genesis Week is the White Friesian Horse. One lucky player will win the Genome Trove set, including both genomes needed for this rare animal.

When animal life comes to Upland, this winner will have what they need to bring one of the rarest animals in Upland to life and hit the ground running.

We had 139 players collect all 186 Troves in Upland, but only one could win.

And we are excited to announce that the winner is…

Congratulations!

You have won one of the rarest prizes in Upland. Your hard work, dedication, and determination paid off in a big way.

Full Steam Ahead

Thank you again to everyone who joined us for Genesis Week.

This year has been incredible, with more updates, more feature drops, and more deliverables than ever before. We are building toward a bigger, more connected, more dynamic Upland, and this Genesis Week gave us a powerful look at what is ahead.

We are not slowing down. It is full steam ahead at Upland, and we are excited to have you with us for another amazing year.

Full Steam Ahead!

Genesis Week Closing Announcement: Full Steam Ahead