Asobo has shared a bit of insight into its development pipeline moving forward during the recent April 2024 Developer Livestream for Microsoft Flight Simulator. It confirmed that the upcoming Sim Update 15 for Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) will be the final major sim update release for this year.
This news comes months after the surprise reveal of an all-new sequel, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, which is scheduled to release “later this year” according to the studio.
Making a lasting impression
Sim Update 15 was supposed to have already been deployed a few weeks ago, but Asobo ultimately made the decision to delay it to ensure its quality. That fact was emphasised during the livestream, as the team is shooting for the update to be “in an excellent state” before release.
The new release date for SU15 is May 7th. The fresh, more complex iteration of the Airbus A320neo from iniBuilds is also set to roll out at the same time and will still be included as a free extra for all players.
After this, the update cadence for MSFS2020 will slow down as work continues in the background on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. That said, Asobo was quick to confirm that this is not the culmination for update work on MSFS2020. Sim Update 16 is planned for “early 2025,” even after the release of the sequel.
In the meantime, there are still content drops in the pipeline from Asobo, such as new City Updates and new add-on aircraft that will be part of the Local Legend/Famous Fliers collections. The next of which is already confirmed to be the Shorts Skyvan, coming out between May 27-31 as Local Legend 16.
It will be joined by City Update 7, a second edition of European Cities. World Updates will also be continuing, though the time and location of the next one has yet to be revealed.
Settling in
With the formal confirmation that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is beginning to move into a new, slower phase of its life, curiosity grows ever more surrounding its sequel. There hasn’t been many new details about Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 since its reveal last year.
As summertime draws closer, expectations from the community are primed that the inevitable Xbox Games Showcase that happens around that time of year will finally include new news about the upcoming sim.
Nevertheless, Asobo seems to be keen on making the transition seamless, in addition to keeping its existing playerbase supported with a good iteration of the sim in the meantime. It did already confirm that MSFS2020 was not being abandoned, and for at least now, that promise continues to remain upheld.
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