After the surprise announcement yesterday of Flight Simulator 2024, community sentiment was divided, to say the least. While many seemed happy with the trailer and the seemingly new opportunities that MSFS2024 will provide, many others expressed their concerns about the future support of MSFS2020 and the longevity of the platform, as well as the support and compatibility for currently available third party add-ons.
Microsoft has released a brief FAQ that aims to clarify these questions a little bit further. Though it does not provide in-depth answers or details about what’s been announced, or the availability and compatibility of specific third party add-ons, it does give a bit of an idea of what we can expect.
As per the FAQ, MSFS2024 will be a completely stand-alone simulator. No upgrade or payment information has been shared yet. Microsoft also states that it will continue to deliver on the MSFS2020 roadmap, with content such as aircraft and avionics updates, city and world updates and more free DLC. The team will also continue to support MSFS2020 after the launch of MSFS2024, although the team did not clarify what support means in this context or in what capacity.
Maybe the most important or burning question from the community was in relation to third party add-ons. On that topic, the FAQ states that “With very few exceptions, virtually all add-ons that work in Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) today will function in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Add-ons that were purchased from the in-simulator Marketplace will not need to be re-purchased in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024”. Though this statement does leave a little bit more to be answered, such as how add-ons might be impacted in terms of compatibility, or if developers need to provide updates for them to be compatible, it does seem like good news that Microsoft feels confident about the compatibility between the platforms.
