One of 2020's biggest breakout releases was Asobo Studios' Microsoft Flight Simulator. The game, a reboot of Microsoft's classic simulation series of software and video games, is one of the highest-rated titles of the year on review score aggregators such as Metacritic and OpenCritic, and amassed more than 1 million players within the first month of its release. Now, as the developers at Asobo Studio continue to support the game, the team has released a roadmap for content coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator in early 2021, including a world update focused on the United Kingdom.
Just this week, Asobo released the second major world update for Microsoft Flight Simulator in the United States World Update, which upgraded many US landmarks and cities to more closely resemble their real-world counterparts, only adding to the game's visual excellence. The update also adds new airports to the game, again fully modeled after their real-world counterparts. It follows the first major world update for the game which improved the landmarks and towns of Japan.
Next up on Asobos' list of countries to personally render – as opposed to the game's reliance on Bing Maps as well as a slew of artificial intelligence programs to render the world – is the United Kingdom, which the developer has detailed in its newest development roadmap, covering the team's development plans running all the way to the end of February 2021. This is not when Asobo Studios plans on dropping support for Microsoft Flight Simulator however, the team has also released a development feedback snapshot indicating which new Flight Simulator features have been requested most by fans and the team's current status and plans for implementing these features.
Among the feedback snapshot requests, is the inclusion of powerlines and gondolas in the map, a feature the team is currently investigating with the intent of including it in 2021, a replay functionality, which is currently in prototype, dual-monitor support, which is in development for release in 2021 or 2022, and playable helicopters, which are planned for 2022. It also reveals that the game will be updated to include DirectX12 at some point in the future, which the team notes will be available among the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions' release. Crucially, this update also reveals that Microsoft Flight Simulator will also receive VR support next month.
Earlier this mont, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealed that the development of Microsoft Flight Simulator was a direct result of the success of Xbox Game Pass, which surpassed over 15 million users as of September of this year, a month after the game's release. The game saw huge success upon release stemming from many players wishing to return home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The game was recently nominated for Best Simulation/Strategy Game at the 2020 Game Awards, which is set to take place on December 10th.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is available now on PC, with an Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S release planned for 2021.
Source: Flight Simulator