The first free-to-play entry in Microsoft’s venerable Flight simulator franchise reaches an ignominious end just a few months after its initial release. Microsoft has announced that it will stop further development Microsoft flight and reassigning some staff members at the Vancouver studio that developed it.
Flight, launched in February, remains available as a free download with a small number of aircraft and the ability to fly around select Hawaiian islands. Microsoft will also continue to operate the online store where players can purchase new aircraft, locations, and gameplay objectives as DLC, but no new content will be produced.
The Vancouver staff cuts also ended Project Columbia, a Kinect-based kid-centered interactive TV project first announced last year.
“Microsoft Studios is always evaluating its product portfolio to determine what’s best for gamers, families and the company, and this decision was a result of the natural ebb and flow of our portfolio management,” Microsoft said in a statement to Kotaku. . “Many factors went into the difficult decision to halt development Microsoft flight And Project Columbiabut we believe it will help us better align with our long-term goals and development plans.”
The Flight simulator series has gone through a rough patch in the new millennium after being one of Microsoft’s premiere PC gaming franchises in the ’80s and ’90s. Following on from 2006 Flight Simulator Xstopped the publisher Flight Sim maker ACES studio in 2009 before starting development of the more accessible Flight in 2010.