August 22nd, 2024 - Development Update - Microsoft Flight Simulator

This week’s Screenshot Challenge winner is Forum user ZeekR5430! If you’re interested in participating in our weekly Screenshot Challenges, check out the details in the Community section below!

Happy anniversary! Earlier this week, we marked four years since the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator on August 18, 2020. To celebrate the occasion, we released four short videos showing all the updates from the past four years. For a trip down memory lane, you can watch the videos at the following links:

Earlier today, we released World Update XVIII: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and the accompanying Local Legend 19: Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor. The World Update is a FREE download from the in-sim Marketplace, and you can add the Condor to your hangar for the usual price of USD $14.99 (or less if you have the discount for owning the Deluxe or Premium Deluxe editions of Microsoft Flight Simulator).

If you missed the earlier announcement, we are currently running a Marketplace sale on the Top-Rated scenery add-ons as selected by you, the community. Check out the Marketplace section below for more information.

World Hub Update

Per notice last month, the World Hub Closed Alpha will shut down on August 23, 2024 (following the release of World Update 18 on August 22).

New World Hub submissions approved prior to the end of the Closed Alpha will be included in the next NavData cycle update targeted for September 5, 2024.

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone from the flight sim community who participated in the World Hub Closed Alpha these last several months. The primary reason we’re choosing to shut down the Closed Alpha now is because the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 later this year includes updated aerial data. This will alter the positioning of all real-world airports, and impact Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as world data is shared between both sims.

Over the last several months we’ve gathered tons of great feedback on World Hub and learned so much in the process. Here’s a few interesting stats highlighting the community’s impact:

Over 1,200 community members were invited to participate in the World Hub Closed Alpha, with 700+ signing-in to World Hub at least once.
Since January, 422 unique airports were updated by the community in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (!!!).
714 custom airports were submitted for review, and 535 were approved (this includes airports updated more than once).
The most popular airports (by views) in the last three months were:
- KFCM
- USHU
- URWW
Most popular locations (by search) in the last three months were:
- Seattle (location)
- 0AK6 (airport)
- CYYT (airport)

The full release for World Hub is planned for early 2025 (following the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024) and we’ll have more details to share in the coming months.

A huge thanks again to all the World Hub Closed Alpha participants. Your feedback has been invaluable, and it’s been so exciting to watch the community collaborate and build the world together in Microsoft Flight Simulator. We’ll see you again in 2025!

– MSFS Team

Development Update

Feedback Snapshot

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Feedback Snapshot.

SDK UPDATE

Asobo

No update

Working Title / MSFS Avionics Framework

No update

Marketplace

Top-Rated Scenery Sale

Enjoy discounted pricing during our Top-Rated Scenery Sale!

To purchase these discounted items, visit the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace, select ‘Featured’, scroll down to ‘Special Offers’, then select ‘See All’ and look for the savings.

The sale runs from 10am PDT (1700 UTC) on Tuesday, August 20th, 2024 through 10am PDT (1700 UTC) on Tuesday, August 27th, 2024.

For a full list of discounted products, see our forum post here.

Marketplace Releases

Click here for the web-friendly version of the Marketplace Update.

There are 91 NEW and 47 UPDATED products in this week’s Marketplace Update.

August 22 FIrst Party Releases:
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox

Released Monday, August 19:
16 NEW Products: 9 ON PC, 7 ON XBOX
New on PC	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox

Released Thursday, August 22:
71 NEW Products: 35 ON PC, 36 ON XBOX
New on Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox
New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox	New on PC and Xbox

Released Monday, August 19:
10 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 6 ON PC, 4 ON XBOX
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC	Updated on PC and Xbox

Released Monday, August 22:
37 UPDATED PRODUCTS: 17 ON PC, 20 ON XBOX
Updated on Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox	Updated on Xbox	Updated on PC and Xbox
Updated on PC and Xbox		Updated on PC and Xbox

Marketplace Backlog

Current Backlog: 354 Total

BACKLOG: NEW PRODUCTS

Content Type	In MS Processing	In MS Testing	In 3P Testing	Total
	*Testing Status*
Aircraft	8	0	6	14
Mission	20	5	136	161
Scenery	11	4	10	25
Livery	3	5	8	16
Airport	11	2	29	42
Other	6	0	8	14
Total	59	16	197	272

BACKLOG: UPDATED PRODUCTS

Content Type	In MS Processing	In MS Testing	In 3P Testing	Total
	*Testing Status*
Aircraft	2	2	14	18
Mission	0	1	1	2
Scenery	2	4	3	9
Livery	3	1	16	20
Airport	6	1	16	23
Other	2	0	8	10
Total	15	9	58	82

THIRD PARTY UPDATE

As of 08/19, we have now approved 295 (+0) third parties into the in-sim marketplace and – so far 238 (+1) have released 4,048 products on PC (+40) and 3,805 on Xbox (+40).
In total, 4,745 products (+4) have already been released in 3^rd party stores and the in-sim marketplace. Beyond that, another 826 products (+4) from 3^rd party developers are in production (332 announced, 494 unannounced). In total, over 5,571 3^rd party products (+8) have either been released or are in development.
Airports:
- 2,409 airports (+3) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 2,225 airports (+3) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 1,727 airports (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 99 airports (+0) beyond the released airports have been announced.
  - 85 airports (+0) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an airport is in production.
Aircraft:
- 866 aircraft (+3) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 428 aircraft (+1) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 342 aircraft (+0) have been released in the in-sim PC marketplace.
  - 328 aircraft (+0) have been released in the in-sim Xbox marketplace.
  - 212 aircraft (+4) beyond the released aircraft have been announced.
  - 226 aircraft (-2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that an aircraft is in production.
Scenery:
- 1,196 scenery packs (+0) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 1,160 scenery packs (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 722 scenery packs (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 20 scenery packs (+0) beyond the released scenery have been announced.
  - 16 scenery packs (+0) are not announced but the dev let us know that scenery is in production.
Mission Packs:
- 544 mission packs (+2) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 452 mission packs (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 391 mission packs (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 0 mission packs (+0) beyond the released missions have been announced.
  - 92 mission packs (+2) are not announced, but the dev let us know that they are in production.
Livery Packs:
- 513 livery packs (+0) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 450 livery packs (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 441 livery packs (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 1 livery pack (+0) beyond the released scenery has been announced.
  - 62 livery packs (+0) are not announced, but the dev let us know that scenery is in production.
Ships & Watercraft:
- 43 ships & watercraft (+0) are either released or are in various stages of development.
  - 30 ships (+0) have been released on the platform so far in various stores.
  - 24 ships (+0) have been released in the in-sim marketplace.
  - 0 ships (+0) beyond the released ships have been announced.
  - 13 ships (+0) are not announced, but dev let us know that ships are in production.

Community

Community Fly-In Friday

World Update XVIII: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland is out now!

To celebrate its release, our Fly-In this week will see us tour several of the cities and POIs enhanced by this latest free World Update. Our voyage begins in Cologne, Germany, home to the currently on-going Gamescom event. From there, we will head on a generally southeasterly heading to the cities of Frankfurt and Munich before crossing the border into Austria and landing in Salzburg. En route, we’ll enjoy aerial sightseeing of many of the new POIs!

For the best experience, be sure to download the FREE World Update XVIII: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland from the in-sim Marketplace.

Event details are available here. All are welcome to participate!

Community Video This week, we’d like to highlight The Condorians, a group of volunteer aviation enthusiasts who have worked tirelessly over the last 20 years to restore the only remaining Fw 200 Condor in the world to museum condition. Learn more about this amazing project and the people behind it by watching our latest Partnership Series video below: