Hi there,
I was wondering how long has it been in production? Meaning when did the manufacture start programming? Just curious. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
It started with FSX as the base code and they started coding towards the current MSFS 5 years ago. Keeping and modifying some of the FSX code where it made sense and completely removing other parts as well as brand new aspects. Asobo built a scenery demo for Microsoft Holo Lens and that’s how they were dragged in to create the sim we have today.
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They were plotting, planning and creating MSFS all while they had licensed the rights to the FSX code to Dovetail for FSW. They were counting on their failure and working behind their back to create MSFS . That way when FSW did fail, they could reclaim the FSX rights and step in with MSFS (which they had already been working on).
Sometime around 2016 iirc
I’d say that’s a little bit revisionist history there 
Licensing is just that. If MS wasn’t planning on coming back to it, they would have sold it. Dovetail knew what they were getting into.
Are you counting the time that subLogic put in on it?
The question was, how long has MSFS 2020 been in production. Just MSFS 2020. How long has Asobo been involved, etc… Just a discussion point.
The answer is, about 5 years… since after MS Flight failed, etc…
Exaclty. It was also licensed to P3D/Lockheed Martin and to my understanding that license for FSX still exists, as P3D was never “sold” to customers perse, it’s a “license” to customers. MS never pulled license from Dovetail for FSX, they just quit. This former dev explains a bit of it, but basically Dovetail just cruched numbers, looked at the upcoming market, and decided it wasn’t worth it to pursue. Personally, I have FSW, and it’s flyable, but not on a level that would not have kept constant complaints coming, and they’re more into releasing a product, updating a few times, and then cashing in on addons. I think they were a bit in over their head and ambitious. Kudos for trying though. This explains a little of it. Meahwhile, P3D Lockheed carries on, because their market and goal is different.
ACES Studio Member Responds to FSW Closure - Hangar Chat - The AVSIM Community
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From Wiki:
" Six years before release, the foundations for Flight Simulator began through work with Asobo on a product called HoloTour for Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset. A challenge that later inspired the Flight Simulator project was to build a digital version of Machu Picchu’s vast mountainside and vistas vs. normal buildings at street level. This challenge spurred Microsoft executive and project leader Jörg Neumann to consult with the Bing Maps team to use their detailed photogrammetry data, which included the actual ruins of Machu Picchu, to create a HoloLens replica of it. Neumann later utilized Bing Maps photogrammetry data to have Asobo build a flight demo for the city of Seattle. Neumann also met with Meteoblue to incorporate realistic, real-time, and worldwide weather data into the product.[54][35][55] The technology was also incorporated from Microsoft’s discontinued Photosynth project, which generates 3D models from 2D photos.[56]"
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