I am surprised at what has been going on over the past few days surrounding the announcement of MSFS 2024. As a fan and “long-time companion” of MSFS (I was also allowed to be part of the beta test before the release) I am also unsure where the journey is going.
The communication was and is suboptimal.
I can understand and comprehend that Microsoft has to and should make money again with the next MSFS 2024 and also demand money from existing customers for this. The MSFS is also business. And the community were given a lot of free stuff in the past, like 13 WU, soon 2 AAUs, City Updates, 40th Anniversary. And you can’t hope to receive gifts forever.
But if someone would ask me what would be the most reasonable thing to keep all existing customers of MSFS on board in the future, there is no way around a free upgrade. At least some kind of standard edition with the announced “new” enhanced Asobo Studio engine. Why? The parallel support with updates of MSFS 2020 and 2024 would probably be a huge challenge for MS and Asobo. I honestly can’t imagine that going well for long. Existing customers who don’t decide to buy the new MSFS will fall by the wayside sooner or later. All the current assurances won’t help, because they won’t be kept in the long run. Quite simply because it can’t work. My opinion!
Microsoft: Do you want to keep the existing customers, who do not want to buy a new product, on board or not? Don’t they also bring in money through purchases in the marketplace? For all I care, you can offer existing customers to buy an upgrade with the new content (planes, missions, etc.) if they want.
And Microsoft, how did you do that with your new Windows 11 operating system? Got customers of Windows 10 a free upgrade for Windows 11 or not?
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Gamepass members will get the free upgrade. 
Seems unfair to ask them to work for free. Between the World Updates, Sim Updates, and AAU updates, I think they have delivered pretty good value for the original $59. Given my use, it is has probably cost me less than 10 cents/hour.
If FS2024 delivers additional value they should get paid – either in the form of a new license or through Gamepass subscriptions. For those who don’t want to pay, it is clear they can keep using FS2020.
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How is that different from people who decide not to buy the newest Forza, or the newest Fifa? The games still work but for the new content you’re supposed to update. Sounds fair to me.
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This time it doesn’t seem like a completely new sim tho, looks like 2020 with a couple arcade options…
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There is nothing arcade about it.
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You are not the only one with that impression, you are right about that at least.
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Let me guess, flying airliners on vatsim is the only valid sim experiance?
How about I’d like to simulate firefighting at forrest fires, or simulating remote area constructions, or simulating delivering goods to an oil rig, or … - you get the point
These are all valid RL aviation jobs, so why should we exclude them from the simulation of aviation?!
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They’ll only get it as part of gamepass, if they leave gamepass they’ll have to buy it outright like the rest of us , gamepass is basically renting it
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So this pilot is not a real pilot because he’s not flying a big tube from A to B?
And we cannot simulate this according to that same logic
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Here are my thoughts on this (and thanks to FlyingCookie for the idea)
Let’s say you go to the movie theater to watch the first movie in its series. (This is MSFS2020). And then you go back to the movie theater to watch the sequel of that movie (That is MSFS2024). You aren’t going to get a free ticket to the sequel-it’s not how the business world works.
And if I am not mistaken, I think when they have FS98, FS2000, etc. you had to pay for each one of those.
I think the chances of it being free are incredibly low unless you have Gamepass which may provide the game for free.
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Then call of duty is a soldier simulator 
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That would be nice.
At the same time, at this stage of MSFS2020 lifecycle, there are already hefty discounts out there, on occasion, up to 80% as shown here:
https://steamdb.info/app/1250410/
I don’t think MS has a vested interest in announcing a blanket free upgrade. From a business standpoint, it would make more sense for them to offer targeted upgrade paths:
- So if you got the current game at full retail price when it released, they could send you a promo code via email that enables you to upgrade for say 27.99 bucks
- But if you got the current game for 10 bucks in late 2022, you can buy the 2024 edition at full price, or wait for a promotion down the line…
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This comparison makes no sense because we don’t consume software in the same way as films.
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That -80% was not a real sale price it was a mistake and the same reduction was not offered on Xbox or Microsoft pc store. It was swiftly corrected. You cannot use this mistake as a basis for any argument.
OK. If you say so, I just looked at the price history.
Either way, the numbers are just examples, it is customary for games to be sold at hefty discounts after a few years of their initial release date, so I am pretty sure some discounts did happen.
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The discount has never, with the exception of that glitch been more than 20%
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It definitely shouldn’t be ‘free’. For a comparison, FSX Acceleration (an expansion for FSX) launched with 30 new single-player missions & three new aircraft. It cost £25 at the time, was totally worth it & in today’s money it would’ve cost £44.
From the trailer, MSFS 2024 will launch with at least 12 new aircraft & an unknown but i imagine, substantial amount of missions. To me, at least 12 new aircraft & a group of interesting, challenging & fun aviation missions are worth £40 at least. It will also add seasons, what looks to be much better tree’s, weather improvements (though i hope that it is much more than just tornado’s), new handcrafted airports, a heavily hinted better ATC system & various other improvements.
There’s also the fact they’ve given us 12 world updates for free with more to come, all of which will carry over to MSFS 2024 & then 2024 will carry on with those free updates.
The new content has me sold already but i do think they’ll need to explain/show more base-sim improvements to justify the price for people that are less interested in the mission aspect. Personally, I’m a little annoyed that things like the horrible screen space reflections, horizon line & pretty basic cloud system have been shown in the 2024 trailer. Things i would’ve expected to be improved.
We’ll hear more from Asobo in time & hopefully see more improvements but so far I’m already happy to pay & continue to support the sim.
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I don’t mind paying for an upgrade. But I paid 120 euros for MSFS 2020 premium deluxe. If I have to pay another 120 euros for MSFS 2024 premium deluxe, I would be miffed. Half would be ok for me.
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I definitely did not request that existing customers receive the full MSFS 2024 for free. It’s about the basic MSFS simulator. The simulator itself. How should the further development and support work with updates for then two different platforms? One for the “old” Asobo game engine from MSFS 2020 and one from the “new” one from MSFS 2024? Different update supports for both systems? Also in the future? How long? At some point, support for MSFS 2020 will be discontinued. Customers already suspect this. And I’m afraid that this has already had a negative impact on sales among third-party developers, but also in the Marketplace, because there is a lot of uncertainty about how things will really continue.
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Until Asobo announces whatever it is about 2024 that makes it “next generation” compared to 2020, I cannot see 2024 as a sequel. Just a “director’s cut” with some deleted scenes of the same ol’ same ol’.
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