NZFF

Today could turn out to be the darkest day in Flight Sim history. Today MS cut 5000 jobs, mostly in their entertainment section. When I read those reports earlier today I didn't think any of it. However, Gamasutra just released an article claiming that the entire Flight Simulator dev crew has been slashed. At this point in time this is just a rumour, but I'm facebook friends with some of the MS guys and they have all posted semi-cryptic but telling updates indicating this may very well be true. Hal Bryan (one of the key ACES members) has posted a blog titled "All things must pass...". Mike Gilbert (former project manager at ACES) writes "Almost all of people in my former team have been let go. "

This is NOT looking good!

Cheers,
Christian

Update: Phil Taylor (also ex-program manager) has confirmed the news at avsim.com. It looks like developers are under NDA so can't release many details, but it looks like the future of Flight Simulator and even Train Simulator is very uncertain at this point in time.

WoW that would mean this is the last platform we have to work on ,not a bad ending to a great platform ,,if its true i suppose ....

Internal struggles .. Hells 25 plus years of Microsoft Flightsim .. to much history and addons ..... another company takeover or ...... it s the trains - that must have derailed .. Nah ...

Yet another update from Steve Lacey (ex-developer), quote: "Microsoft Flight Simulator is dead"

http://www.steve-lacey.com/blogarchives/20...d_of_an_e.shtml

Id say looking on the brighter side we have time to make FSX pretty cool and there is so much un tapped things that havent been done yet ,it mite be picked up again in the future or the whole sim put up as open source to the comunity to build the next one seeing it is almost now .
im pretty far out dont really know what to think about it all at the moment or what doom or direction we will take still early to say ...

And, although MSFS is the biggest Sim out there, there is some good competition. Think X-Plane and whatnot...

Alex

I can't believe what I am reading and I hope this has been over exaggerated. Why axe FS, a product which has always between Microsofts best selling game/sim software and the one which costs the least of all to market - it just does not make sense. If it is true then I'm sure things will continue in some way or form, the pedigree has come to far not to continue.

Deane

Omfg....

That's crazy. MSFS has gone for 25 years, they must've been making money on it. And now, gone... I can't imagine anything else other than MSFS.



Someone start a petition or something... MSFS is the only throughly well done thing thats ever had Microsoft's name.

Flight Sim is Microsoft's thing... this is terrible

deaneb wrote:

QUOTE (deaneb @ Jan 23 2009, 08:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't believe what I am reading and I hope this has been over exaggerated. Why axe FS, a product which has always between Microsofts best selling game/sim software and the one which costs the least of all to market - it just does not make sense. If it is true then I'm sure things will continue in some way or form, the pedigree has come to far not to continue.

30 years to burn , one super selling gimmick! .. ? ... life is life , new ideas ... ? .... to ...faded ............. away .. smaller ............

ok, this is stunning news, my wife and i have both just sat there slack jawed going wow, why would they do that, it is a a shame, as fsx was ok, but if they had developed it it would be stunning, but i guess we can only hope that it is picked up by someone else and continues the 25 years of work. sad day indeed

Far from over guys ,FSX wheels are only just turning and still lots to come will be for at least for the next couple of years , by then they will have it alsorted

Wow... this is.... um...... big.

Can't really think of much to say. It's just kinda sinking in.

Someone else will come to the party - they always do. But think of the huge steps backward we're going to have to make before we can start moving forward again.

Although... think of this. 5000 jobs axed - those talented people are going to work somewhere else - maybe not right away, but they will. If they stick together, it's possible they'll all go to the same place. I know it seems unlikely given the recession in the US that another software company would take on a significant number of staff, but anything is possible.

Who owns the IP that they have developed on FS 11? I'm sure even Microsoft can see that it's no good locked up in a 'putting our life on hold while we wait for the recession to end' vault in Redmond.

Why, this just doesn't make sense to me. The best selling flightsim for 25 years, all that work and developement over 25 years, all gone and wasted.

This is a very sad day for flight simulation worldwide.

My Best Wishes to the ACES team, and many thanks for the years of hard work they put into MSFS

This could eventually mean the end of a product for thousands, if not millions of enthusiasts, developers, and businesses who use MSFS in some capacity around the world.

It seems so stupid for Microsoft to throw away one of their longest running products, when there is such a strong client base in virtual aviation communities around the world.

This day will be remembered ... as another day when money has possibly overridden good sense.
I suppose this is the difference between major commercial software and major open-source software

You'd think they'd sell ACES and let it go independent.

Oh well sh1t happens

... bad for the staff involved BUT .. if Microsoft don't want the dollars then just think what X-plane could become!

open source and already better dynamics!

the world hasn't ended - just changed.

I keep posting here, but always end up moderating my own post -- hopefully this time I'll get to say my bit without breaking any forum rules:)

Realistically, the demise of MSFS is probably one of the least likely results of this decision. MS own a great product, which they could sell as a going concern, or just sit on until the time is right. All they have done is to remove the financially draining aspect of MSFS. The fact that this aspect is really a lot of very clever people, who have contributed greatly to MS, is an entirely different matter, which is where I start getting into trouble...

But in 10 year's time we'll still be simming away merrily, whether or not the name on the sim is MS. We might even be staunch X-planers, or Flight Gearists, we'll just look back at this time as a bit of a glitch in our hobby.

MSFS is still a very valuable commodity, so while dollars are the driving force in its demise, dollars will bring it back to life eventually, in one form or another.

In saying that Rob , look at it this way , some people still havnt seen FSX, thats still alien and a brand new program , in a way they wont here this announcement until 2 years later

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