Today, Blackbird Simulations hosted one of its “State of the Sim” livestreams, focusing on upcoming products for Flight Simulator 2024.
Creative Director Colin Pearson started by showing the A6M-5 Zero, which the developer hopes to release by the end of May. Pricing has not been announced.
It’ll come under the Blackbird Simulations brand for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 only, and it’ll also come to the official marketplace for Xbox as well as PC.
All future products from Blackbird will be exclusive for MSFS 2024, as Blackbird is a relatively small company and can’t afford to allocate resources to develop the aircraft twice, especially if they want to use the features native to MSFS 2024 and to keep quality high.
They can either develop one version “really nice,” according to Pearson, or “two not-so-nice” that would also take much longer.
The Zero is developed to be representative of a late 1944, early 1945 model, and doesn’t have any radio, since the vast majority of real ones had their radios removed anyway to save weight. Besides, there was not enough data on the real units.
It’ll come with a package of liveries, some of which actually come from -2 models and Pearl Harbor-era models. There won’t be a livery representing a specimen captured by the US.
In terms of armament, it’ll be able to fire tracers from its guns (but this won’t be included in the version sold on the official Marketplace), and pilots will have to be careful with handling the engine as it was with the Corsair. You can watch it at this link, with the video already set at the right time.
Next, we take a look at the DHC-3 Turbo Otter, which is coming alongside the radial version (which we also see in the sim). It’ll come with floats, skis, regular tires, and tundra tires. 3D modeling is pretty much done, and coding is about 2/3 done. The plan is to release it by the end of the summer.
You can watch the Turbo Otter here and the radial Otter here.
Development on the SR-71 Blackbird is progressing, and the aircraft is currently capable of going supersonic, albeit work is still ongoing to reach the real speed the aircraft historically reached. Today, we did not get to see the aircraft.
We also take a look at the modeling done for the Boeing 737-200. The coding is 35% done, and the developer is in negotiations to collaborate with another company that “we know well.”
The flight deck will come in two versions, one will be completely analogue with steam gauges, while the other will have a partial glass cockpit. The center console, overhead panel, and autopilot will be the same for both versions.
You can see the footage on Twitch.
We also hear briefly about the F-16, with the developer still trying to figure out how to do the weapons, as there are so many that it can carry.
Next on the menu is the C-130 Hercules (which Blackbird calls “Dirty 30” likely for licensing reasons). The package will include both the long and the short versions. The developer defined it as an “extremely complex airplane done with utmost detail and realism.” He also mentioned that it’s more complex than any twin-engine airliner and more than most four-engine ones as well.
The cockpit will include 3 different variants, with more coming. There will be tanker/aerial refueling, MAFFS (Modular Airborne FireFighting System) and MOAB versions, which will be available as paid add-ons. Chaffs and flares will work.
We get to see plenty of the aircraft (you can check it out on Twitch at this link), including an explanation of its systems, the startup, and a brief flight. Incidentally, the aircraft won’t require any external application and will run entirely in the simulator.
Interestingly, Pearson clarified the meaning of “limited” for the alpha release, and also mentioned that in terms of progress, it’s more like a beta. it won’t be limited in quantity, but it’ll be limited in the time it’ll be available at the initial price of $24.99.
The idea is that as the list of features currently missing gets smaller, the pricing will gradually increase. Pearson added that the initial price has been kept low in consideration of the current economy. The developer wants people to be able to purchase the aircraft.
Updates will not involve any additional change, and the final “release” price has not been decided just yet. A specific timeline has not been provided as well, but the developer hopes to complete the aircraft before Christmas.
The alpha release will be on May 1st at 9:00 AM EDT.
Pearson also talked about the existing products, many of which have already been made compatible for MSFS 2024, but they are not native. Similar updates for the Sabre and the 530f by the Shrike sub-brand are also planned and are actively being worked on.
On the other hand, if Blackbird decides to create native versions of its past products, they will be considered separate new products, and even those who previously purchased them will have to pay, although discounted upgrade prices may be provided. The work involved is simply too much to offer native MSFS 2024 versions for free.
The developer isn’t ready to disclose which products will undergo such native MSFS 2024 conversions.
Lastly, we hear about the B-1 Lancer, which has not progressed much in terms of systems, although the model is already complete. It’s a “crazy complicated” aircraft even because of the flight modeling for variable-sweep wing.
The intention is either to complete it or to make a deal with another developer to collaborate on development. Discussion on this is ongoing.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also available for PC and Xbox Series X|S. If you want to see the massive visual difference against Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, you can enjoy our video and screenshot comparison.
A few weeks ago, we published an extensive interview with Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann about the present situation of the sim and the plans for the future
You can also check out our in-depth analysis of how much data the simulator downloads from the cloud, clearing the air from some widespread misinformation that has made the rounds over the past few months.
