Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020 video game)
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a flight simulation video game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is an entry in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series which began in 1982, and was preceded by Microsoft Flight Simulator X in 2006. The game is a return of the series after 14 years, with development beginning six years prior to its release. It was released on August 18, 2020, for Windows, with a virtual reality (VR) version released in December of the same year as part of the free Sim 2 update. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the first game in the series to see a VR and console release, with it being released on the Xbox Series X and Series S on July 27, 2021.
| Microsoft Flight Simulator | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Asobo Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Xbox Game Studios |
| Director(s) | Jörg Neumann David Dedeine |
| Designer(s) | Damien Cuzacq |
| Programmer(s) | Alain Guyet |
| Artist(s) | Patrice Bourroncle |
| Composer(s) | Finishing Move Inc. |
| Series | Microsoft Flight Simulator |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Amateur flight simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Flight Simulator simulates the topography of the Earth using data from Bing Maps. Microsoft Azure's artificial intelligence (AI) generates the three-dimensional representations of Earth's features, using its cloud computing to render and enhance visuals, and real-world data to generate real-time weather and effects. Flight Simulator has a physics engine to provide realistic flight control surfaces, with over 1,000 simulated surfaces, as well as realistic wind modelled over hills and mountains. Some places are handcrafted, introduced in region-specific updates. To augment its realism, the Azure AI incorporates real-time elements like natural weather and real-world air traffic.
The game was released to critical acclaim, with praise for its graphical fidelity, cited by critics as the "safest way to travel" during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several reviewers placed it on their favorites' lists and called it the most aesthetically pleasing game of 2020, though there was criticism of its slow loading times, inaccuracies in rendering certain buildings, and unrealistic aerodynamics models. It received several accolades, most notably winning "Best Sim/Strategy Game" at The Game Awards 2020, and "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year" at the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. A sequel, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, is set to be released in 2024.