MS Flight Sim Permanently Grounded

ralphrepo · Feb 8, 2009

Read it and weep folks, another Microsoft disaster -shock :

In a rush? For a quick synopsis, just read the red highlighted lines.

Job cuts ground Flight Simulator

The future of Microsoft's long running Flight Simulator series has been cast into doubt, after the software maker US laid-off the entire development team. Microsoft says it is "committed" to the series, despite shutting the Aces studio when it cut 5000 jobs. But third party developers say Microsoft needs to outline its plans for the game in more detail. MS Flight Simulator is arguably the longest running computer game series ever, first launched back in 1982.

Nels Anderson, founder of enthusiast website FlightSim.com said the studio closure was a "dark day" for the flight sim market. Speaking to the BBC he said he was baffled by the decision. "Microsoft have apparently canceled a 27 year franchise. Flight sims were one of the few things about Microsoft people actually liked. It made them money and had an enormous following. To cancel something like that is an amazing thing to do," he said. Just Flight's director, Dermot Stapleton, which publishes third party add-ons for MS Flight Simulator, told the BBC that as Microsoft had only announced the studio closure, people would have to draw their own conclusions as to what future plans the firm had in store for the game. "It's the end of the line for their in-house development studio, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the line for the game. All Microsoft did was name a group of developers working on the game Aces Studio and now, as they've laid them and a load of other developers off, they have been somewhat hoisted on their own petard. My guess is that Microsoft will now licence the code to a third party developer and then cross that "cash bridge" when they come to it."

Deja vu

But Nels Anderson was more pessimistic, saying Microsoft had done something similar with its Train Simulator series. "Microsoft announced a sequel to MS Train Simulator back in 2003. A year later, they shelved the project. Three years later, they announced a new version, that too was canceled. I think this gives us an indication as to what is in store for Flight Simulator," he said. Most people agree that the latest incarnation, MS Flight Simulator X, has at least three to four years use before it starts to show its age. Even today, many still use the five year old Flight Simulator 2004, rather than FSX. Speaking to the BBC, Derek Davis, editor of PC Pilot magazine, said there was a silver lining to the bad news. "I don't know what the eventual fate of Microsoft's Flight Simulator series will be, but I think we're going to see a rise in sales and an increase in third-party development. There is now some stability to be had - we're all going to be using FSX for some time - and that is going to make it far easier for developers to produce new aircraft."

Story from BBC NEWS:
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/7874937.stm
Published: 2009/02/06 17:24:08 GMT
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It seems amazing to me that a company would spend millions on crap code (Vista), then do everything in its power to foist it on a public that doesn't want it (making OEMs sell only Vista); who then goes and shoots themselves in the foot with a move like the above; I mean, how did this company last this long? Shit... if it wasn't for their OS monopoly they would have went under years ago, talk about idiotic market direction...

master_g · Feb 8, 2009

this seems like something for the general discussion.. but i don't like this game anyway

Resentless · Feb 8, 2009

a game only for the hardcore people... i bought it once.. and returned it since it was to boring xD and to difficult ofcourse

master_g · Feb 8, 2009

Resentless said: ↑

a game only for the hardcore people... i bought it once.. and returned it since it was to boring xD and to difficult ofcourse
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i bought it, copied it, returned it, deleted it

MS Flight Sim Permanently Grounded

ralphrepo Well-Known Member

master_g .

Resentless MIA

master_g .