This article is being refreshed as I discover new info and sources. Please comment if you’d like to share more info, corrections, new sources, etc.
Events directly related to Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative are in standard font.
Events connected to but not directly about Jumpgate (e.g. NetDevil-related) are italicized.
Sources are provided in [square braces] and/or with a link when possible. When the source says [fixes.txt], it means the source is the fixes.txt file in the Jumpgate client archive folder - you can find it on your disk where you unarchived the game.
1997 - NetDevil founded by Scott Brown, Peter Grundy Ryan Seabury and Steven Williams in Louisville, Colorado. Others involved include Markus Krichel, Herman Peterscheck, who remain through most of NetDevil’s history, and Josh Johnston, for which Jumpgate’s website is named. Development team is said to be no larger than six people at peak [Mobygames].
1999 - Jumpgate is playable [timeline].
April 1999 - The Jumpgate timeline describes 99.4 as the date TRI starts recruiting pilots, suggesting April is when NetDevil starts recruiting external testers [timeline].
November 1999 - Jumpgate Beta 4.0, features a mission computer [azmyth]. Patrol missions are described as just visiting sectors, while beacons are used to control unregulated sectors for a faction.
21 February 2000 - End of Beta 4.5, which had over 250 pilot participants. Server is taken down while NetDevil prepares Beta 5, with 2,500 pilots expected to be invited [azmyth]
13 April 2000 - The mechanic of experience reward for holding beacons was introduced [jossh].
22 April 2000 - Over 700 pilots registered, with many new sign-ups [jossh].
27 April 2000 - Jumpgate section of Stratics launched [stratics].
15 May 2000 - PlanetJumpgate launched [joystickrequired]
26 May 2000 - Mission computer has all current mission types, including recently-added Faction missions. Simulator mode added [jumpcentral].
June 2000 - Conflux mark their first appearance on the test server [timeline].
August 2000 - End of Beta 5.5 on August 5th. Jumpgate newsletter on 2nd August introduces the new core stations, described as “4 miles monsters”. Jumpgate’s market economy becomes ‘interdependent’, with the introduction of dynamic supply and demand, as described by Markus ‘Iceman’ Krichel in a PlanetJumpgate post on 9th August. “Pre-release” Beta launches on 15th August [source]. Adrenaline Vault has Jumpgate pegged for a end 2000 launch.
September 2000 - Jumpgate in closed beta at this stage, with some press participants, per Adrenaline Vault and IGN articles. Deal for European distribution with Planetactive (via their gaming service Mightygames) is inked following a trip to Germany [jumpcentral].
November 2000 - Lothar is the first pilot to reach Optimus rank (50) [timeline].
19 December 2000 - Relic Station sectors added, becoming Lothar’s Landing (named after first Optimus Lothar), Klatsches Hold (named after PJG founder Gossip), Evening’s End and GBS [jossh].
29 January 2001 - Pilot registry added, with Civilian and Honor Guard settings. Custom Producers buildings are also introduced around this date [stratics - the patch note says 2000 but this is quite clearly a typo].
6 March 2001 - Jumpgate is now hosted across multiple servers to enable better scaling [stratics]. Production buildings graphics ready [rpgplanet].
9 March 2001 - NetDevil hires Josh "Homeboy" Johnston and Jake "EdDNerd" Pearson [stratics].
April 2001 - Jumpgate v1.0 released on 12th April [planetjumpgate]. EU Public beta ends on 18th, with launch planned mid-May [planetjumpgate]. Scouts added to the game, unlocked by Octavius on 26th, then other factions early May (US).
17 May 2001 - 3DO announced as Jumpgate’s US publisher [stratics, gamespot].
17 July 2001 - European server opens with Mightygames as publisher [planetjumpgate]. Mightygames, which was possibly either funded or affiliated with Deutsche Telekom [vague source], invests $300,000 in NetDevil and Jumpgate.
9 July 2001 (US) - Light Transport ships added [fixes.txt].
10 August 2001 (US) - Jumpgate “stress test” begins, expected to last 3 weeks [gamespot]. Lothar may have reached Optimus rank again? [jossh].
21 September 2001 - Free preview ends [stratics].
26 September 2001 - US official launch of Jumpgate.
24 October 2001 (US) - Storage Depot Stations sectors and stations added [fixes.txt], become accessible on 5th November [jossh].
6 November 2001 (US) - Simultaneous peak connected users (US-all time) at 468 [planetjumpgate]
30 November 2001 (US) - Exploration features added [check: artefacts/pure roids?] There is evidence Artefacts existed late 2001 [jossh] and pures early 2002 [jossh]. New sector added in Octavius faction space: Mokk’s Battlefield [fixes.txt]. This sector is named in memory of deceased EU GM Mokk.
21 December 2001 - NetDevil announces that 3DO will no longer be involved in the running of Jumpgate. Themis Group is subsequently hired to manage the community [netdevil.com].
4th February 2002 - Themis Group contract begins [stratics].
10 February 2002 (EU) - Simultaneous peak connected users (any JG server) at 497 [planetjumpgate]
26 February 2002 (US) - Ranger class ships added [fixes.txt].
30 March 2002 (US) - Ore depots added [planetjumpgate].
12 May 2002 - PlanetJumpgate closure announcement [planetjumpgate]
16 May 2002 (US) - Light Mining ships, infestation and nuke missiles added to the game. Conflux classes c0, c11 and c12 added. Canis 9502 sector added to Aman space [fixes.txt].
21 May 2002 - “Episode 2: Attack of the Conflux” officially announced.
26 September 2002 - NetDevil partners with NCSoft for publishing.
18 March 2003 (US) - Episode 2 release. This adds Player-Owned Stations, Conflux space, Swarms, 3 new ship classes (Heavy Miner, Heavy Fighter and Freighter) and many other changes [fixes.txt]. The Heavy Miners roll out on 21st March [jossh] and the Heavy Fighters through faction missions, with Octavius’ Dragon becoming available first on 29th March [jossh].
19 March 2003 (EU) - Mightygames roll out of episode 2 (see above for content) [mightygames].
21 February 2004 - Last revision of SpaceDrake’s ships report. This guide can be found as part of Odiche’s Jumpgate guide.
August 2004 - Closure of the official US community forums hosted on jossh.com. Major patch release on August 23, introducing Drop Tanks, Jammer ECM and many more ECM changes (possibly Antiflux/Whistle added in this patch?) Ore Depots updated to assign ore delivery mission to Depot Station [fixes.txt].
25 January 2005 - Development plan focusing on PvP and factional warfare unveiled by Jumpgate lead developer Steve Hartmeyer, known as Istvan, on pilot Ambrosius’ Darkspace Dispatch newsletter.
30 June 2005 - European server is shut down. EU players welcomed to US server. Mightygames ceases operations.
2 November 2005 - Conflux hive introduced, Optimus abilities updated [this is my interpretation of this patch description in fixes.txt correlated with Darkspace Dispatch]
27 August 2006 - Military Registry and missions added [fixes.txt].
31 December 2006 - End of Themis Group’s contract for the management of Jumpgate community, which returns to NetDevil.
22 June 2007 - Jumpgate Evolution announced.
8 October 2007 - Last Jumpgate patch until June 2010 [fixes.txt].
9 October 2007 - Jumpgate Evolution dev team revealed by Ambrosius’ Darkspace Dispatch, consists of 8 members: Herman Peterscheck (Producer), Darren Bryant, Steve Hartmeyer, Steve McCray and “Erm”, (programmers), Cole Eggen, Darrin Klein, Kirk Lunsford (artists).
29 January 2008 - Codemasters signs European publishing rights for Jumpgate Evolution [article].
July 2008 - Gazillion Entertainment acquires NetDevil. This is only announced in March 2009.
22 July 2009 - Jumpgate Evolution has missed 2008 and June 2009 planned launch date, but is being privately tested. It is due to enter beta testing by end of year, for which it has 250,000 sign ups, according to Codemasters [article].
June-August 2010 - “Revival” and “Server migration” patches [probable context].
3 December 2010 - Scott Brown leaves NetDevil [confluxwar.net].
18 February 2011 - Last Jumpgate patch under NetDevil [fixes.txt].
24 February 2011 - NetDevil is shut down. Layoffs, LEGO Universe dev team remains under the LEGO group. [confluxwar.net]
30 April 2012 - US Jumpgate server shuts down.
28 December 2013 - Private Jumpgate server starts operations [jg-tri].
November 2014 - Two Jumpgate patches released on 15 and 30 November, fixing some Windows compatibility issues and adding medal rewards. As of August 2023, these patches are the last to be released for the game client [fixes.txt].
17 January 2016 - Matrix awards added for holding beacons. No client code change, so presumably using already-released medal graphics? [to do: confirm this - source: jg-tri]
25 June 2018 - Trion Worlds purchases all of Gazillion’s assets, thereby becoming the owner of NetDevil’s assets.
7 August 2018 - Space Game Junkie podcast interview with Jumpgate creator Scott Brown.
24 October 2018 - Gamigo acquires all of Trion Worlds business operations.
Present Day - Jumpgate lives!
Further Research Needed
Missing more information! You are welcome to come forward. Specific topics I’d like to flesh out (non-limitative list):
More precise timeline of development and closed/public testing.
Major development info absent from patch notes (‘fixes.txt’), such as release of Bomber class ships, Conflux class developments, new sectors additions.
Dates of major releases on EU server, which I believe were generally delayed compared to US.
Important developments related to people on the Jumpgate team or NetDevil management.