As we all know, MSFS is an one-time purchase, not a subscription. Microsoft’s revenue of this product will probably peak very soon. A few months from now, the income will be low, relatively speaking. So how can Microsoft, a profit seeking company, see this as a 10 year project? For the years to come, the expenses to servers, production team, support etc. will be quite big, but the income will probably decrease over time.
So…do you think Microsoft is planning on launching big updates, or even full new versions, at full prize in the years to come? If not, what is their incentive for keeping the current product alive?
In any event: I have already fallen in love with this sim. I want it to stay…forever.
My guess is the combination of MS-produced DLC (like they mentioned helicopters might be) and whatever cut they are getting from Marketplace sales are enough to sustain it.
There’s not going to be a Flight Simulator 2022 as it was made pretty clear that this is Flight Simulator, not Flight Simulator 2020. The two year cycle of a whole new sequel is over, and they’re just going to build off of this base platform.
Rockstar managed to do this with Grand Theft Auto 5, which has been going strong for years despite an enormous server load, frequent DLC additions, and similar base price. They pulled it off with a combination of (entirely optional) in game purchases and continued strong sales through renewed interest via fresh content. I could see Microsoft being able to do the same through a combination of paid add-ons and continued sales as the game expands from its base platform.
Riding that initial tidal wave of sales to coast into the following years seems pretty important, however. And I’m worried that this badly rushed release is going to hurt them (and us) there. I selfishly gave the game a good review in the Store just to chip in with its promotion, and I’d love to dive into freeware scenery design just to keep this thing alive and actively developed in the long run. Because this is where I want to spend my time in video gaming. GTA5 Online is a toxic hellscape.