Dear Xbox and Microsoft executives,
I am Giuseppe Nelva, and I have worked as a professional gaming journalist for over 25 years, on multiple websites and on some of the largest print magazines in my country.
I have also enjoyed flight simulation games for the past 40 years.
As you prepare to reset the Xbox business, I’d like to provide some insight from a different perspective, highlighting the reasons why the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise deserves Microsoft’s continued support and investment.
Let’s start with…
A Bit of History
The history of the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise is almost as old as Microsoft itself. As you likely know, later this year we will celebrate its 44th anniversary.
In its early years, it quickly solidified its position as a showcase of the cutting edge of what not only gaming, but also software in general, could do.
During the period that I affectionately define as the “First Golden Age of Flight Simulation,” the genre wasn’t seen as niche, but it was definitely welcomed among the most-anticipated triple-A releases.
As a matter of fact, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight was one of my first professional reviews in the most popular gaming magazine of the time in my country.
Back then, the fact that it would be the cover story wasn’t even in question.
Then, things started to go downhill. In 2009, following the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator X (which still proved to be a successful and long-lived project), Microsoft decided to close its developer, Aces Game Studio.
It was done to “align Microsoft’s resources with its strategic priorities,” which sounds terrifyingly similar to the situation in which we seem to be now.
However, that was a different Microsoft, with different leaders. I have faith, or at least hope, that these mistakes won’t be repeated.
The closure of Aces Game Studio marked the beginning of the Dark Age of Flight Simulation.
While Microsoft Flight Simulator X remained available, the lack of evolution and progress due to the end of active first-party development caused the entire hobby to gradually become more and more niche.
The developers of competing products simply did not have the resources or the will to appeal to newer audiences and to keep up to date with modern gaming technology, content to cater to an increasingly dwindling core of enthusiasts who reactively became allergic to change. When stability is all you have, you get used to it.
The whole weight of innovation was shifted on third-party developers, but there is only so much they could do without the ability to develop the core of the simulator.
It was an extremely depressing period. A whole decade in which flight simulation slipped into obscurity, so much that often, I wasn’t even allowed to write about it at my workplace. New blood was scarce, and an entire community suffered greatly.
It was honestly one of the saddest periods of my gaming life, as a game journalist and as a gamer.
Hope and enthusiasm were reignited by the announcement of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 at E3 2019.
I can hardly describe the joy I felt that moment. Usually, event press conferences are very stressful for me, as I’m focused on covering the news as quickly as humanly possible, so enjoying the atmosphere and the announcements like any normal gamer would do is simply not on the menu.
Yet, after seeing that trailer, I felt energized like never before during E3. Microsoft Flight Simulator was back, and it looked and felt better than ever.
The simulator went on to launch successfully, also thanks to the brilliant strategy of making it a Game Pass tentpole and releasing it on Xbox, and that marked the beginning of the Second Golden Age of Flight Simulation.
The innovation was so great that it was impossible to ignore, even for many gamers who weren’t previously interested in flight simulation, and for many casual users.
Most won’t forget the moment they flew over their city for the first time and saw their house, exactly as it is in the real world.
Seeing so many new players enjoying the hobby and approaching it with a hunger for learning and experiencing something new, I can’t overstate this: it provided me and many veterans with many moments of pure joy.
Then the COVID pandemic came, confining us all to our homes, or to our countries at best. As someone used to traveling for work and who loves to meet different countries and cultures, it was another dark period of my life; I honestly felt like I was stuck in a prison, and I’m sure millions of people felt the same way.
The ability to travel, even just virtually, in Microsoft Flight Simulator, was incredibly effective in providing some solace for many. While I don’t want to overstate it, I think it’s not an exaggeration to say that Microsoft Flight Simulator helped keep me sane until traveling became possible again.
I know many who feel the same way about it and for whom the simulator has represented a huge contribution to their mental health.
The years that followed truly were a golden age for the flight simulation hobby. An entire industry of third-party developers flourished, creating more content for Microsoft Flight Simulator and then Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 than any similar industry in any branch of entertainment.
It’s astonishing to see how much creativity and passion have been poured by so many into creating content for MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, and it’s still going strong after six years. If anything, it’s even stronger.
Of course, there have been hardships, mostly tied to the complexity of the product, but I believe lessons have been learned, and upcoming generational transitions would be much smoother. These lessons are, in my opinion, precious in their own right, and squandering them would be a mistake.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has improved steadily to become, without a doubt, the best flight simulation platform ever released, and not by a small margin. Not only is it a gem that deserves to be preserved, but further evolution to keep that leadership alive is more than warranted.
Recently, the simulator received another enthusiastic intake of new users, and again, that hunger I saw in many young people for learning something that they had never experienced before really made me smile.
A Game and Platform that Should be Nurtured and Continue to Evolve
From what I can see, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 today is very popular, with high monthly active user figures that can certainly support continued investment from Microsoft.
Not only is the community numerous and engaged, but there is also an absolutely massive related industry of third-party developers that has really no equal or precedent in gaming.
There are thousands of developers who announce and create new aircraft, airports, scenery, and utilities for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on a daily basis.
If Microsoft drastically reduced or removed its investment in the franchise, it wouldn’t just disappoint millions of users, but it would also compromise the livelihood of many more developers than those directly affected by layoffs.
Of course, there is a return on that investment, and I believe it’s no small return. There are no games out there in which so many are involved in continuously creating DLC at no cost for Microsoft, from which Microsoft itself can receive a return in the form of pure profit.
Besides the pure economic value of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, it’s important to examine its social and cultural value.
Almost everyone loves planes, from children in elementary school to adults, and even seniors. Flight simulation is one of the most cross-generational hobbies there is.
My father, who is a pilot, introduced me to flight simulation when I was a young kid on an old Sinclair Spectrum 48K, and I know many even now who enjoy it with their children or with their grandparents, and that’s not surprising considering its educational potential.
For years, I’ve been invited to schools from elementary grades to high schools to showcase flight simulators. Teachers absolutely love it, as this hobby provides them with tools to convey the passion for topics like geography, physics, and more like no other.
While I used to do this even before 2020, the beautiful graphics and immersion provided by Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and then even more by MSFS 2024 have made engaging young people much easier, sparking their interest effortlessly.
Younger generations are drawn in by play and gorgeous visuals, and in the meantime, they learn to be curious about different countries and cultures. They enjoy discovering the advanced physics behind flight, while also exercising hand-eye coordination, memory, and methodical approaches to issues.
Then, when they go home, they share what they have learned with parents and grandparents, creating bonding opportunities similar to what has been seen with Minecraft.
Of course, many also acquire a passion for aviation. If one asks a pilot nowadays what triggered that career choice, it’s not rare that the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise is among these factors, if not the primary factor.
The effects of this cross-generational appeal are easy to see by visiting any aviation-related event, where thousands of people of all ages gather to enjoy planes and share the joy of flight even just from the ground.
Smart city administrations have valorized their airports by surrounding them with parks from which families can observe the comings and goings of the aircraft, and it’s always a pleasure to see them.
Of course, the fact that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a wonderful showcase for the capabilities of other Microsoft businesses like Azure, Bing, and AI should not be underestimated.
The survival of all this depends on whether Microsoft Flight Simulator and its team will survive and continue to thrive with Microsoft’s full support beyond the upcoming “reset.”
So many have approached the flight simulation genre and have brought new blood into this hobby thanks to MSFS’s opening to accessibility and consoles, creating a vibrant community that has no precedent in the history of the franchise and genre, and that deserves to be embraced, nurtured, and encouraged to grow further.
This franchise gathers so much cross-generational love, passion, expertise, educational and cultural value, knowledge, and investment that squandering it all in the name of short-term savings would deal irreparable damage to millions and, in my opinion, to Microsoft itself.
I honestly don’t even want to imagine what would happen if Microsoft withdrew its support from the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise. It would certainly trigger a second dark age for flight simulation, which would potentially be even worse than the first. Microsoft’s active presence in this industry is absolutely critical for everyone involved.
A Glimpse of the Future
Now that we have examined the past and the present of the franchise, I’d like to briefly take a look at its possible future, of course, with faith and hope that such a future exists thanks to Microsoft’s continued support.
Despite the cross-generational connections that I have described above, some see flight simulation as a solitary hobby in which hardcore enthusiasts lock themselves into a cockpit and fly from point A to point B on their own, without sharing that experience.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 have already made a significant dent in this idea by implementing robust multiplayer, allowing many to enjoy exploring the world side by side with their loved ones.
Yet, this requires that everyone involved is willing to learn how to fly. While Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s approach to accessibility certainly helps, this remains an obstacle to overcome.
I encourage you to imagine a future in which that obstacle does not exist, and in which literally everyone who owns Microsoft Flight Simulator (perhaps the next installment of the series) or has access to it through Game Pass or the Cloud can enjoy flying with absolutely no friction or any need to learn even basic controls.
What I envision is an online infrastructure through which core players who already know how to fly or are willing to learn can invite others to fly with them as passengers.
Players could invite friends and family (or they could invite themselves via drop-in mechanics) to fill the passenger seats of their aircraft, enjoying a frictionless flight and the exploration of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s beautiful world with no need to flip a single switch or turn a single knob, or to learn how to handle the physics of the plane.
All they would need is to know how to get into the passenger seat, and all the controls they would have to handle are the camera and a chat for social interaction. The world would be at their fingertips, and I have no doubt that they would have a lot of fun.
The system could also support open schedules where pilots list their upcoming flights with departure, destination, and type of flight. For instance, an airliner flight from A to B, or a scenic exploration of a national park. There could be social indicators, for example, the willingness to teach or the openness to act as a tour guide.
Potential passengers would access these schedules, find the flight they want to enjoy, and simply click on it, pick their seat, and then relax to soar through the sky with no friction at all.
There could be leaderboards and review systems where passengers can rate their pilots, deepening the social and community aspect even further.
Of course, once they reach a destination, they can take a walk around and experience its beauty even more deeply on foot, or perhaps in cars and other vehicles.
Imagine having a virtual suitcase where one can put the stickers of the locations they have visited, or even virtual apartments where they can display souvenirs. Collection is always a strongly attractive factor for many.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that “passengers” would be limited to that role forever. It’s not unlikely that many would be influenced by the passion of their pilots, and feel encouraged to learn to fly as well.
On the other end, the pilots would finally have live passengers behind their seats, getting even closer to the experience of real aviation.
Microsoft could even sell a more affordable “Passenger Edition” that only offers the passenger experience, and could then be upgraded into the “Pilot Edition” for an additional fee.
The possibilities of this kind of evolution of flight simulation are pretty much endless, and would, in my opinion, multiply the user base and the success of the franchise much beyond today’s values.
While we’re not restricted by a pandemic today, too many in the world don’t have access to the joys of traveling, and the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise can definitely help them experience the world as it helped us break free, at least emotionally, during the time of COVID.
In conclusion, I hope I have managed to convey the value of the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise, and I hope I have provided you with valuable insight into why it deserves Microsoft’s continued support.
I do not know whether it was even needed or not, but I felt I should try to open this channel of communication, with faith and hope that we’ll be able to enjoy flying in the virtual skies created by Microsoft and Asobo for many years to come, and possibly to bring with us even those who currently aren’t able to fly on their own.
I, and hundreds of thousands like me, are extremely grateful to Microsoft, Xbox, and Asobo for bringing about a Second Golden Age for flight simulation. I can’t properly express the admiration we feel for Jorg Neumann and his team, who have channeled our passion and invigorated it with their own. Jorg is a hero for us. I say this in no uncertain terms. His passion and contribution to flight simulation and gaming in general are priceless.
I hope that, like my father conveyed the passion for aviation to me, I’ll be able to continue doing so with the younger generations, thanks to Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Thank you for your attention and your time.
Giuseppe
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is currently available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
If you’d like to read more flight simulation news, you can find plenty in our latest roundup article from yesterday.
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