Today was the monthly Microsoft Flight Simulator developer stream. The August update was jam packed with information including World Update information, aircraft confirmation, updates across the product, some questions and answers and a few tidbits of MSFS 2024 information too. Here’s a summary of what we learned!
Information will start to flow on MSFS 2024 in September
Next month’s Developer Stream will be when more information on MSFS 2024 will start to flow with the sim projected to release before the end of the year.
Consequently, most of what we’re learning in this latest developer update is focused not on the new sim but on the current sim. Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, reiterated that support for MSFS 2020 will continue for years to come which is great news of course.
On to the summary and lots of good news
There was lots of good news to share including word that a deal has been struck with Paramount to keep the Top Gun DLC package available until 2026. Great to hear this!
There was a question about the SR22 which was recently upgraded and people wanted to know if other aircraft would be upgraded. Jorg reported that the whole fleet would be upgraded for 2024 also saying that when the iniBuilds A310 came out they wanted to push forward on quality and never go backwards.
Sim Update 16 is going to be delayed while some platform work is done, particularly around Xbox, however, there is a new Aircraft & Avionics Update (the third such update) coming. It will have fixes and updates for the A310, A320neo (that’s the V2 version by iniBuilds) and the PC-6. Cameron MacMillan from iniBuilds provided a brief update on what’s been done. A “fair few changes” with the A310 from external and internal feedback has been implemented. The A320neo has a lot of changes with a new VNAV system, new terrain radar, flight model adjustments, and better ability follow complex departures. There are also performance enhancements incoming too. AAU03 is planned for mid-September.
World Update 18 is Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Jorg reports that the EU has made new data freely available and thus the detail level is going up with 1 meter resolution across most of Germany. 116 points of interest, 3 new airports (EDDM Munich, LOWS Salzburg, LSZB Bern, and new TIN for cities.
Local Legend 19 is the Focke Wulf Fw 200! The aircraft has been developed by Oliver Moser, who did the Ju52 and several other German aircraft previously, and then the artwork has been done by the iniBuilds team. Moser, iniBuilds and Microsoft worked with a restoration team in Germany who recently completed a 20-year project taking a wreck discovered in Norway and restoring it to its original airliner configuration. Microsoft even helped to facilitate the purchase of the cockpit materials from a collector so that the restoration could be completed. Fascinating. The aircraft, of course, had a lengthy wartime record but its original airliner origins are what is focused on here.
We have news on the ATR! Developer Hans Hartmann has apparently addressed every piece of feedback from external and internal sources to sort out any remaining issues with the turboprop airliner. The aircraft is also getting two new variants with the ATR 42-600S (STOL variant) and they are also doing the ATR 72-600F (freighter variant). Both should be ready in September and Hans will present it in September. It’s a free update for everyone who owns it and will be included if you buy it as well.
There’s the Boeing 707-320C which was delayed from July but is now coming September 17 (tentative release date). The aircraft has been developed by Aeroplane Heaven and there’s some interesting liveries coming too. Apparently it has been signed off on so its coming!
The MSFS World Hub, enabling the community to update airports, will be temporarily offline until Spring 2025. The project has been very successful and they are pausing while they go through the transition to MSFS 2024.
World Update 19 is confirmed to be Brazil. South America updates have been long awaited and its finally happening! The data is mostly ready and everything is coming together for it. Local Legend 20, to go with the update, will be the CAP-4 Paulistinha developed by iniBuilds.
Coming in 2025 will be Famous Flyer XI which was revealed to be the Sud Aviation Caravelle by Aeroplane Heaven. It was intended to come a bit sooner than that but with everything going on in 2024 mean that they decided to delay. They did want to get it out for the Olympics but the 707 took longer and thus slowed it down.
Phew! That’s quite a lot eh! More is coming next month and a lot more is going to come out about MSFS 2024 so that should be all very exciting. In the short term there’s plenty to be excited about as well.
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