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Goodbye Flight Simulator, Hello Microsoft Flight

Lockheed Martin software in a Flyit FTD Stephen Pope
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Lockheed Martin has licensed Microsoft Flight Simulator X and its core technology, rebranding it as Prepar3D for professional pilot and UAV operator training, following Microsoft's disbandment of the original development studio.
  • Microsoft is developing a new title, "Microsoft Flight," aiming for a fresh look, new gameplay, and significant social connectivity through its Windows Live platform, moving beyond the traditional simulation focus.
  • The author reflects on the long-standing educational benefits of the Flight Simulator series for real-world pilot training, while expressing some reservations about the new game's potential hardware demands and online social dynamics.
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If you own a copy of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X, you might want to grab a pen, scratch the name Microsoft off the box and write Lockheed Martin instead.

That’s because Lockheed Martin has licensed the software and the intellectual goodies that go with it, marking the end of the line for one of the most successful game series in the history of computing, spanning almost 30 years since the original in 1982, called Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0.

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