Microsoft Flight Simulator has shaken up the sim add-on market for good

Thanks to a unique set of very positive circumstances, Microsoft Flight Simulator is already proving to change the sim add-on business model.

[Christopher]

***Microsoft Flight Simulator will zoom past its second anniversary later this year,***

Yes, in 6 months. Weird way to say it's a year and a half old.

***MFS developer Asobo made the key decision to include an in-game Marketplace that sits prominently in the sim’s main menu.***

I literally can't think of a game released in the last 5 or so years that has an in-game marketplace similar to MFS that doesn't do this. Most Ubisoft games, Avengers, Sims 4, any F2P MMO (you are greeted with pop-ups each day in most just to sell you the latest stuff), and so on.

---

I was hoping this oped was going to be about how Microsoft is using third-party developers to grow its DLC potential, but instead, it's really something that's been done for ages now.

[AKR]

"Weird way to say it's a year and a half old" .... Um, "Weird" how? It's just another way to say what you just said. The fact of the matter is, it will be turning two this year and a lot about it has changed. That was the significance of the statement, haha.

As for your other note...

It's been done for a while in OTHER titles. The significance is that no other flight sim has done it to this extent before.

To find flight sim add-ons in the past, one would have to go seeking them out purposefully on dedicated publisher sites, or other sim marketplaces. FSX on Steam did have a few add-ons available, but not anywhere near the true amount of different that were out on other marketplaces. So, MSFS having one, consolidated Marketplace of its own that's just a tab away in the main menu does bring more eyes to the table, which generates more sales for the creators, leading to lower prices (for some).

That's why it's a big change.

[Christopher]

***Um, "Weird" how? It's just another way to say what you just said.***

Mine is accurate, the author gives an impression that it's only a month or so until it's 2 years. YMMV, but I do feel the author doesn't need to try hard to say things differently for the sake of saying them differently.

***It's been done for a while in OTHER titles. The significance is that no other flight sim has done it to this extent before.***

That's not significant. Especially as the author went after "the sim market" in the title. That's just a sign of the times and not the game itself. And that's a ton of text to say just that when it's commonplace now in MTX/DLC games.

---

Look, I'm coming off as abrasive, and that's not really my intent, but I want you to understand it's not out of spite or anything. I truly feel this is a bad take on the "why they've shaken up the sim market" argument, flying or otherwise.