![Futuristic logo in blue and gray color.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator_%282020%29_logo.png/527px-Microsoft_Flight_Simulator_%282020%29_logo.png)
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a series of amateur flight simulation video games developed for Microsoft Windows, with earlier versions for IBM and Apple. Frist released in 1982, it is the longest-running flight simulation video game series, as well as the longest-running software product line for Microsoft, predating Windows 1.0 by three years. The series was critically acclaimed, and was ranked by Time as the 23rd "Best Video Games of All Time".[1]
The first entry was derived from the 1971 FS1 Flight Simulator, developed by Bruce Artwick and published by Sublogic, which was sold to Microsoft.[2] Following releases of more entries (including the famous Microsoft Flight Simulator X (FSX)),[3] developer Aces Game Studio was closed down by Microsoft in 2009,[4] and the series remained silent in the ensuing years. After 14 years of hiatus, the latest entry, simply titled Microsoft Flight Simulator, was released in 2020.[5] It is the first in the series to also be released in virtual reality, with its release in the Xbox Series X and Series S scheduled in mid 2020.
Several special entries were released. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight was released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first flight conducted by the Wright Brothers. Microsoft Flight, released in 2012, is a free-to-play spin-off of the series; it was later removed from official sites, however sold copies can still be played. Microsoft Space Simulator was released in 1994, and was followed by Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator, released in 1998. A second and third edition of Combat were later released. In 2001, Microsoft Train Simulator was released. A sequel was attempted, however following the closure of Aces Games, the sequel was cancelled.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
editTitle | System | Release date | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Microsoft | IBM | Apple | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 | Personal computer | November 1982 | Sublogic | Microsoft | No | Yes | No | |
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.0 | May 1984 | No | Yes | No | ||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator | May 1986 | No | No | Yes | ||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0 | 1988 | Yes | No | No | ||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 4.0 | 1989 | |||||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 | 1993 | |||||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1 | June 1995 | |||||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator for Windows 95 | 1996 | Yes | No | No | ||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 | September 16, 1997 | Yes | No | No | ||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 | 1999 | Yes | No | No | ||||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 | October 2001 | Microsoft | Yes | No | No | |||
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight | July 29, 2003 | Microsoft Game Studios | Microsoft Game Studios | Yes | No | No | ||
Microsoft Flight Simulator X | October 13, 2006 | Aces Game Studio, Dovetail Games | Yes | No | No | |||
Microsoft Flight Simulator | Personal computer, virtual reality, home video game console | August 18, 2020 | Asobo Studio | Xbox Game Studios | Yes | No | No |
Sublogic
editTitle | Details |
---|---|
Original release date: 1979 |
Release years by system: |
Original release date: 1983 |
Release years by system: |
Related
editTitle | Original release date | ||
---|---|---|---|
Japan |
North America |
PAL region | |
Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator | October 28, 1989 | none | none |
Microsoft Space Simulator | 1994 | none | none |
Combat Flight Simulator 2 | October 13, 2000 | none | none |
Microsoft Train Simulator | May 2001 | none | none |
Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe | October 24, 2002 | none | none |
Microsoft Train Simulator 2 | none | none | none |
Notes:
Cancelled following the closure of developer Aces Game Studio in 2009 |
References
edit- ^ "The 50 Best Video Games of All Time Ranked". Time. New York City: Time USA. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Hockman, Daniel (April 1987). "Bruce Artwick's Flight Simulator / You've Come A Long Way, Baby! / The History of an Epic Program". Computer Gaming World. No. 36. Russell Sipe. pp. 32–34. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ Warren, Tom (2020-09-22). "This Microsoft Flight Simulator video highlights 40 years of PC gaming changes". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ocampo, Jason (January 23, 2009). "Microsoft Confirms Aces Closure". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ Boddy, Zachary (2020-12-16). "Everything you need to know about Microsoft Flight Sim for Xbox". Windows Central. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is already here for PC, and released across the globe on August 18, 2020, marking the long-awaited return for Microsoft's flight sim series.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link)