Microsoft’s Flight Simulator might be the longest-running computer game series ever, originating in 1982. But the question is how much longer it might last.
Microsoft has laid off the people at its Aces studio, the team behind the popular game, leaving Flight Sim fans wondering whether their favorite game will be around much longer.
According to the BBC, Microsoft has stated that it’s “committed” to the series, but others aren’t so sure. Dermot Stapleton, director of Just Flight, which publishes add-ons for the game, told the BBC:
"It’s the end of the line for their in-house development studio, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the line for the game.”
"All Microsoft did was name a group of developers working on the game Aces Studio and now, as they’ve laid them and a load of other developers off, they have been somewhat hoisted on their own petard.”
"My guess is that Microsoft will now license the code to a third party developer and then cross that "cash bridge" when they come to it."
However, the general agreement is that the latest edition, Flight Simulator X, still has a shelf life of four to five years, so there’s still time for the game to be rescued.
