The 2023 release of LightWave was far from guaranteed. Its previous owner, Vizrt, had acquired it from NewTek but suspended its development, and the last update was way back in 2020. The regular changing of hands and no plans for any new release made LightWave’s existence precarious indeed.
In April 2023, a new start-up called LightWave Digital took the reins and created a team of former NewTek staff and a number of other developers. In the mix was Andrew Bishop, who was asked to put together a team to save LightWave. Whether he and others have managed to truly do this is yet to be seen, but the release of version 2023 is a positive sign.
