Excitement around the launch of DCS: Mi-24 has reached a fevered pitch as the early access release of the module nears. There have been a few disappointments in the community and I thought it best to provide an update on what we know about the launch window for this new iconic addition to DCS World’s helicopter collection.

Steam Store disappointment?

With a Steam Store profile stating that the DCS: Mi-24 was intended to come on the 31st of May, some were waiting with high expectations that it would come then. It didn’t but I wouldn’t read too deeply into that.

Steam requires developers to put in a release date on their DLC/content/software when they put them on the store. This is often done many months in advance and the most that it does is give a kind of ballpark figure on where the module may release.

Having watched this space for as long as I have, that date is nearly always wrong and it will nearly always slip. Steam really doesn’t give developers enough wiggle room here and in many other materials, Eagle Dynamics chooses to give release dates by quarter although even by their estimates, the DCS: Mi-24 has definitely slipped behind as it was originally an early Q2 release and it looks like it will be a late Q2 release instead.

ED has elected to put the aircraft (and their best guess date) on the store so that they can offer the same 30% discount that ED store owners receive. But it does come with this minor complication. The latest update on the Steam Store says June 16 it may be accurate but it may also not be.

On Monday, the 31st, BIGNEWY one of the ED Community Managers, posted to the DCS World forums and write a simple message stating that the release was near and a confirmed date would be announced soon.

So, at this point, we do not have a date for the DCS: Mi-24 and I think it’s better to wait without putting up some goalposts. It lets you keep your sanity.

No pre-release versions available for press

In the past, Eagle Dynamics has released some modules ahead of launch with special press preview versions. These typically went to YouTube content creators and videos were created ahead of the release showing off the module on each of their channels.

A thread on r/hoggit has reported that NineLine has stated that they aren’t doing that this time for the Mi-24 Hind project. The author of the post feels that this change in policy may be a red flag of sorts.

In the case of movie reviews, movies that went to film critics first tended to do so with a lot of confidence from the executives marketing the movie. Movies that appeared to be stinkers tended to go to theatres without critics having had a chance to see it first. I’m less sure if that analog applies to a DCS module but the comparison has been drawn.

Although we haven’t seen various content creators giving their first impressions pre-release, we have seen Matt Wagner walk us through the cold start procedure on the module which I think may very well be taking the place of previews that were offered before. Matt’s various pieces on the F/A-18, F-16 and other modules have been helpful tutorials and they have the effect right now of previewing the product.

However you feel about this news, it is clear that the DCS: Mi-24 isn’t too far away from launch. Be it the June 16th date stated on Steam, a date somewhat closer than that, or a date beyond June 16th.

Look for more Matt Wagner videos in the coming days if you need a confidence booster before before dropping some money on a early access version. If you’re a bit more adverse to how rough modules can be during the early access period, you may want to wait until later and scoop up the helicopter when it goes on sale some months down the line.

I am very excited to see the DCS: Mi-24 for multiple reasons (and I have been brushing up on my helicopter flying skills) so when the helicopter does come to early access you can bet that I will be offering up continued coverage of the module and my own thoughts as I take it out for the first few times.