On the PMDG forums Robert Randazzo posted an update on all current PMDG projects and where the company is headed in the future. This was a huge update to say the least, all development on X-Plane and FSX has stopped, and with the announcement of the NG3 being an MSFS exclusive, it appears this could be the case for P3Dv4 as well. Current products like the 747, 777, and DC-6 are planned to be ported over to the new Microsoft Flight Simulator. PMDG will release more information on this topic at a later date.
In short, Randazzo explained that developing for multiple platforms has caused a slowdown in productivity. This slowdown has greatly reduced the number of titles that can be brought to the community. Over the next 5 years, PMDG’s goal is to simplify the development process, this will allow products to be released sooner and give the team more time for innovation with current products.
As previously announced, PMDG will no longer develop products or updates for FSX, FSX Steam Edition, or Prepar3D v3. Within the next 6 months, PMDG will be evaluating the End-of-life process for those simulators. Support will continue for these products for long into the future and they will still be accessible for download within your purchase history on the PMDG website.
After spending copious amounts of time monitoring market metrics within X-Plane, PMDG has decided to also drop all development for X-Plane. The decision comes from the team attempting to streamline all products going forward. PMDG will no longer be evaluating X-Plane at any point within the next 5 years, nor does the team see any active X-Plane development time being allocated.
Perhaps the biggest news in this update is the PMDG NG3 being dropped from all development in Prepar3D v4, the product line is being realigned and will be released for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The PMDG 737NG3 will be released as a MSFS-only product. PMDG mentions that by only releasing the NG3 for Microsoft Flight Simulator will bring forth the very best the new simulator has to offer. It will also help buy not hindering the team with external compatibility concerns. Similar to existing product lines, the NG3 will include the entire NG and MAX product lines in a mix of base and expansion packages. Randazzo also explained that pricing will be similar to existing product lines. There will be an update in the future containing a development and release timeline for the NG3 and more.
Lastly, an update on the PMDG Global Flight Operations Center was mentioned. The Global Flight Operations Center is ready to be moved to a more active testing environment with the help of a select few beta testers. Development to date has simply been on the framework, data interchange, and the protocol necessary to support the Global Flight Operations Center environment. There will be a large testing regime that will be open to the public but no details have been posted yet. The roll out will include basic key features, more complex and advanced features will be added as the product matures. More updates for the PMDG Global Flight Operations Center will be released soon.
