A statement from Synaptic Simulations has been issued detailing a new partnership with iniBuilds. In short, the team confirmed that development on the A220 will be moving to a payware model with the support of the iniBuilds team and will be released on PC and Xbox in the future. The original project was announced as a free, open-source project bringing the Airbus aircraft to Microsoft Flight Simulator.
In the post on the iniBuilds forums, Synaptic said, “This decision comes out of a realization of the project’s potential as well as the ever-growing development demands during often busy and stressful times for our team.” They say that by working with iniBuilds, they can realise the dream of bringing the A220 to Microsoft Flight Simulator without compromise in a more expedited timeframe than if it was a free, open-source project.
Initially, the A22X-300 will be the first model released, with the A22X-100 variant and ACJ arriving later as a free upgrade to customers of the base package once they are available.
“We understand any unfavorable feelings you may have toward this decision, as it was a tough one for us to make knowing the support you have all given us with the promise of a free and open-source add-on,” Synaptic said in the statement. “We hope that you will remain committed to this project, as our commitment to deliver the best A220 experience remains steady.”
Working with iniBuilds seems a smart move, considering their foray into the world of Airbus aircraft development. This means iniBuilds will have worked on the A220, A310, A300, A320neo, A350 and A380 series of aircraft. A FAQ will be published soon by the Synaptic team, and they encourage people to reach out if they have any questions. As usual, we’ll be following the team’s movements.
