Back in 2014, Microsoft entered an agreement with Dovetail Games to bring Flight Simulator X to Steam, but as of today, it was confirmed that the partnership is now coming to an end. The news was shared on the FlightSimulator.com website (formally fsi.microsoftstudios.com) by Microsoft.
As part of that statement, Microsoft said “We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to Dovetail Games for the partnership they’ve provided over the past 5 years. Going forward, Microsoft will take over support of Flight Simulator X and we look forward to sharing our next steps with the community in the very near future.”
Dovetail Games also gave a statement. Paul Jackson, CEO of Dovetail Games, added: “We are incredibly proud to have looked after this fantastic flight sim during the last 5 years and we will continue publishing existing and new add-ons for FSX: Steam Edition on Steam”.
It should be noted that this end of the partnership will not change how users will engage with their simulators or impact existing or future add-ons purchased from Steam.
Microsoft went onto say that returning Microsoft Flight Simulator X back to them is a step in “accountability and responsibility to those that have come before us”. They continued by saying “that passion, investment, and appreciation must be recognized and reflected in our commitment to carry the Microsoft Flight Simulator franchise into the next generation. We are not building on, but building from, the product and history that is Microsoft Flight Simulator X.”
Microsoft closed off their statement by concluding “today, with a bit of bittersweet sentiment, we say “Welcome Home” to an old friend. More on our FSX plans coming soon…”
Earlier last month, Microsoft said that they would deliver an update on August 8th (which is today), but it wasn’t clear whether this was the aforementioned update or whether there’s more to come. In any case, we’ll be sure to update you with the latest.