They stated “We will continue to support Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) post the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 launch.” though… which doesn’t sound like 2024 just replaces the original @TheLimbix
As you say vib, I think perhaps it’ll just be supported in the loosest sense beyond the current roadmap and given an end date much like windows 10 etc.
As far as I understand, support doesn’t mean continued improvements or content updates. I’d guess they will keep fixing it and providing the needed network services. Which IMO is enough.
New content will probably be made for 2024 exclusively.
absolutely, but my point was it suggests 2020 doesn’t just become 2024 as some here think - both will exist concurrently for some period of time… otherwise there would be nothing to continue support (whatever form that takes) to.
Yeah, by the time the trailer was released I thought it would be an upgrade like the game of the year edition or the 40th anniversary edition, but as of now I’m pretty sure they will coexist completely segregated.
There was never going to be anything in-depth here since these are not the right people to answer those questions, but it was definitely illuminating as to Asobo and Jorg’s direction and reasoning.
From the trailer we can see the implementation of seasons, trees and grass reacting to the wind downdraft of helis, simulation of tornadoes, and new animals that seem to show a migration pattern? Pretty incredible stuff there to be honest.
There is an extended Xbox showcase today at 7pm CEST/6pm BST/1pm ET that will have flight sim there, so keep an eye out for more info during that presentation.
The eternal optimist in me sees this as great news. We don’t know what is actually going to happen or how it will be sold, upgraded, but we do see negativity in many of these posts . As humans we don’t know if tomorrow will come for us but you don’t spend your life worrying about it.
I see an awesome new option that even as an airline flier/simmer, looks interesting and has some obvious upgrades, even if it is a mission in a new sim or just a huge upgrade with additional options like the challenges we are seeing. If I have to pay for another sim that has better weather technology, trees, better effects, more real to life then that would be awesome. This is good news for flightsim as a whole as development is ongoing and its only going to get better. I am just not sure why we spend so much time worrying, speculating about this until we have more info. This is a business and I know for a fact that Xbox is a big part of this so the gaming for them I understand plus it gets folks interested in aviation and that can never be a bad thing. They also seem to have a good base of folks, larger then ever, so the fact that its getting attention is again a good thing. This doesn’t mean I don’t get bummed every now and then because the weather isn’t perfect or I cant find a thunderstorm like they showed us in the previews, but its all moving in the right direction. That direction is better and better, up and away and stay happy, give gratitude daily and you will have more to be grateful, it actually works and its really awesome. I am not trying to beat anyone up here just hoping you will look at the positives and take that away, worry about something you have no control over is a waste of time.
Happy flying until we learn more, the possibilities are endless and I would add awesome.
Hopefully this finally means weather radar compatibility and actual cloud variety
Those playing MSFS with the gamepass, get 2024 “for free” as it will be included there.
Those who bought the game, will have to pay again.
Just like for any other standalone game sequel, and the only thing they really made clear so far is, that 2024 will be a standalone sequel but backward compatible for DLCs from their own marketplace.
Everyrhing else is matter of speculation, but not this.
Actually, you are speculating too.
imagine the marketing next year for MSFS 2024 as the next gen sequel to 2020, if 2020 still continues to exist. Will they offer both games on Gamepass? How confusing would that be?
Why would Microsoft want to fund the ongoing development road map for a game they replaced?
This isn’t making them money, it’s losing them money. They will retire MSFS 2020 and launch MSFS 2024. They will have to migrate all exisiting owners over to 2024 to avoid the money drain of supporting an obselete product with an ongoing development roadmap. That would be literally, an insane thing to do.
This is exactly how Windows works. When they release a new version of Windows that retails for £100 they beg you to upgrade to it for free. Why? Because they don’t want to have offer indefinite support for old products. With Windows they can’t make you upgrade to 11 so they have to phase out support slowly.
With MSFS 2020 it will be a free, but mandatory update. I’m not suggesting this is as a naive hope in the benelovance of Microsoft, but rather just as someone with common sense and a reasonable understanding of how modern business make money.
It’s a free but forced upgrade, as that’s the most profitable and least time and resource costly way to do it.
Doubt it will be any more confusing than Madden 21, Madden 22, Madden 23, etc. I’m sure most people can figure out years.
Quick edit: It can’t be harder to figure out than how Battlefield numbers their series.
Assuming they change the branding to include the year in the 2020 edition, yes. 
[If they don’t, then they have “Microsoft Flight Simulator” and “Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024” next to each other, which is at least not totally unclear but if you see the one out of context you might not realize it’s not current.]
New included or future freebies for sure but they would be missing a trick if paid mods weren’t available cross platform. IMO world updates are likely to be mutual, too much hassle otherwise.
Might need a 2nd gpu, monitor and mouse trickery but it will be interesting to see if both sims can run at the same time
At least, I can fly formation with myself 
The only reason I can imagine 2020 servers being available is the data shared for 2020 is the sane as that needed for 2024.
Matt booty said “Sometimes I say to them (The team) you guys are being a little subtle and they assume that everybody’s a airplane nerd” and then talked about the tornado.
How many tornado’s do you want to see while flying, and Matt Booty doesn’t even wear sneakers and his hair is turning white. I don’t need giant dragonflies, it would be dangerous in aviation and in the sim to stray too far from what works.
I don’t think your speculation makes any sense. They’ve already said they will continue to support 2020 after 2024 comes out. Why would they need to support a version that everyone would be forced to upgrade from?
It seems inconceivable to me that the new version with all its upgrades will have the same hardware requirements. You think they are going to force people to upgrade software they’ve paid for to a version they can’t use? You keep holding up Windows as an example, but they’ve never, ever forced Windows users to upgrade. No one was forced to go from Windows 10 to Windows 11 precisely because many users own computers that can’t run Windows 11. To do so would be business suicide.
Offering and maintaining two versions on Game Pass would confuse no one. I’m not sure why you think it would.
I think you’re confusing your own wishful thinking with “common sense.”
They just told you the 2020 roadmap wil continue and it will continue to be supported after 2024 launch. If they are planning to surprise us in July with an announcement that we all get the base sim 2024 what else could they say? They don’t want to reveal that in a forum post, they will do that at more high profile occasion and Jorg will announce it during an interview.
It will have absolutely the same hardware requirements and we know this for a fact as it has to support the same Xbox console that MSFS 2020 runs on, including the lower spec S version. It’s the same engine.
They have never forced Windows owners to upgrade as they legally can’t! They would LOVE to! If you have Windows 10 they will constantly ask you if you want to upgrade and you have to choose to decline it. That’s the closest they can get to forcing you. Do you think they enjoy having the costs of supporting multiple operating systems with security updates and patches? Once they’ve made their money out of an old version they want to move on.
MSFS every one will WANT to upgrade and Microsoft will be able replace 2020 with 2024 and keep everyone happy at the same timel.
It confuses the mainststream when they announce to the non flight simming world that they are releasing a brand new Microsoft Flight Simulator. Do they want to have start every conversation about the new sim and what it will offer with questions about what happens to the 2020 users, and are you still developing the roadmap you promised? No, just merge them and focus on 2024.
Any more questions?
With other Xbox Studios productions that have incremental sequel updates within a console generation, it is fair to expect MSFS 2020 to keep running on its servers for several years after the sequel releases. They also tend to keep at least one prior generation of any new title available on GamePass.
I’m not a console gamer so I’m not familiar with their other franchise titles. Do any of them have the huge marketplace that MSFS does though? It’s not unusual for a flight simmer to spend hundreds of pounds on add ons, is that as true of any of the other games?
I feel like MSFS is more like Fortnite in that regard. It’s a live service that makes money through in game transactions. If 2020 owners could be upgraded to 2024 for free they are likely to spend far more on add ons than if they have to pay for the base sim.