Bluebird Simulations’ founder and lead developer Shervin Ahooraei has spoken out in a new short video on the company’s YouTube channel, confirming that the company’s highly anticipated Boeing 757 addon for Microsoft Flight Simulator will not be released in the year 2024.
Shervin goes to lengths in the video to stress that he is sharing this information with the community now at the earliest opportunity after it became apparent internally that any potential 2024 release window had closed, saying quote: “I’m not saying this to tease you guys, I’m doing this because I think the majority of you enjoy these updates and that’s what I’m going to do to keep you guys posted on what’s going on”.
The statement continues with Shervin letting us know there will be a more in-depth update coming out in the next month that will touch on the aircraft’s systems depth. We are shown a very short clip of the aircraft’s two FMCs, which seem very likely to be working independently of one another.
He goes on to say that unfortunately he lost his job earlier this year in January, but this has been both “a curse and a blessing” as it has allowed him to now go full-time as a developer on the 757. Shervin indicates it is not just himself but several devs who are now full-time on the project, with at least a handful of other colleagues contributing part-time.
Finally, Shervin speaks to the company’s stance on the release of MSFS 2024. He says that the aircraft will be released, when it is released, for the 2020 sim initially. A free-of-charge update will then follow that will bring the plane into the upcoming Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Though this does mean that customers may have to wait a little longer to get their hands on a working version of the aircraft in the newest simulator, Shervin says that based on everything he and his team know and have seen, the product is expected to work out of the box in 2024 anyway.
However, even if it doesn’t, the community now has confirmation that there will be no additional fee to customers for an MSFS 2024-compatible version in the event of any issues.
Regardless of whether or not the 2020 version does work in 2024, it will be missing some native features that are supported by the new sim. Shervin says therefore that these will be addressed in the free update post 2020 launch. Mr Ahooreai stopped short of giving any time estimate as to how long it might take to put this update together, though.
Finally, Shervin thanks the community for their ongoing patience and support, re-emphasising the company’s commitment to be “in for the long haul”, and that now everybody’s heads are down as development on the 757 progresses.
FSElite will continue to bring you the latest updates and coverage of the Bluebird 757, including the aforementioned systems video, as soon as it’s available.
