Earlier today, LatinVFR announced that they are bringing the A330 and A340 series of aircraft to Microsoft Flight Simulator. LatinVFR is known for creating mid-level products that focus on point-to-point flying, whilst adding a few extra goodies such as an onboard EFB and some custom LNAV/VNAV support.
LatinVFR’s current narrow-body Airbus aircraft, which are payware products, catered specifically to a more casual audience who were looking for a bit more realism compared to the default aircraft, whilst providing accessibility to these types of products for the Xbox crowd. These products were never intended for everyone, but some freeware developers out there saw an opportunity to expand and build upon these releases.
One such developer is Horizon Sim who has made several mods for some of LatinVFR’s smaller Airbus aircraft. However, with the announcement of the wide-bodied planes, the A330/A340, LatinVFR said that they will not allow the developers to create any mods to the A330/A340 initially.
In a statement, now deleted by LatinVFR, they said that they have invested heavily in custom avionics and systems which means customers won’t have to rely on mods from third parties for their aircraft. Since that statement, LatinVFR has clarified what it meant with a new statement on Facebook.
LatinVFR said that they are grateful for what Horizon Sim has done with their A32X family of aircraft and will continue to work with them on their mods for this series of aircraft, including the upcoming A321ceo. When it comes to the A330/A340, they said, “will not have initially a mod because our plan is to have a product that has higher offerings that don’t require a mod. However, later on we can see in what respect or area can a mod by Horizons help or improve the A330/A340 for those who are more interested in in depth systems. We can later on if Horizons wish to try, see what they want to do or can do.”
The developers want to make customers happy, but also invest in the long-term of their future projects to improve them without the need for external help.
Another developer who has commented on the latest announcement is Headwind Sim, the team behind the popular A330neo freeware modification (which is derived from the FlyByWire Simulations A32NX). In a lengthy statement by the developers, the team wanted to reassure the community they are “committed to delivering a freeware A330 Family Series that meets the highest standards of realism, performance and enjoyment for PC users.”
Headwind said that they are “[..] hard at work to ensure that our addon exceeds your expectations and offers an exceptional flying experience.” They continued, “this healthy competition will inspire all developers to continually enhance and innovate, providing an even more immersive and enjoyable simulation experience for all of us.”
The freeware team made it clear this is a project of passion for them and will continue to work hard on providing the community with a great freeware modification that will provide an aircraft that will “make it worth the wait.”
It is clear that there is still a healthy need for both payware and freeware products for similar aircraft types on the market. All teams seem driven by the competition in the market and will only benefit the community in the long-term.
For more on the LatinVFR announcement, check out our exclusive first range of images and details in our post.
