Microsoft Flight Simulator Celebrates gamescom with Major Updates
Today during the gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream, we were proud to announce several exciting updates coming to Microsoft Flight Simulator over the next few months to PC and Xbox Series X|S.
World Update VI
Our latest World Update celebrates the region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. New aerial imagery, high-resolution elevation maps and several brand-new 3D cities in Germany, Basel in Switzerland, Graz and Vienna in Austria are drastically enhancing the visuals of these three countries and the beautiful mountain-ranges of the Alps. The team has also hand-crafted about 100 famous locations (points of interest, or POIs) and several airports like Lübeck, Stuttgart, Klagenfurt and St. Gallen. The update also includes new discovery flights, landing challenges and bush trips that take simmers across this beautiful region of our planet. World Update VI will be available for download in the in-sim marketplace free-of-charge on September 7th.
Local Legend I: Junkers JU-52
The team is also proud to announce a new series of releases called “Local Legends” that will frequently coincide with World Updates. These aircrafts are famous in the region of the world update, but often are not as well known to a worldwide audience. For World Update VI, we chose a famous German plane from 1930 called the Junkers JU-52.
In Germany, the Junkers JU-52 is lovingly called “Tante JU” or “Aunt JU.” The team has gone to great lengths to recreate the plane as authentically and accurately as possible. We scanned the entire plane with a high-resolution digital scanner to achieve an extremely high level of detail and accuracy. We were fortunate to have the support of Bernd Junkers, the grandson of the original designer, Hugo Junkers, and also worked with an organization that preserves one of the last surviving examples of this famous plane. To ensure complete accuracy, we consulted with one of the few pilots who flew one of the last Junkers JU-52. The Junkers JU-52 will be available in the simulator on September 9th for $14.99.
Volocopter
While the “Local Legends” series celebrates the history of aviation, Microsoft Flight Simulator is also working with organizations around the world that are shaping the future of aviation. We have partnered with Volocopter, a fascinating German company creating one of the most exciting new aircraft in the world, an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) air taxi for urban flights called “VoloCity”. In collaboration with the team at Volocopter, we are integrating their electric air taxis and incorporating Volocopter’s vision for urban air mobility city operations into Microsoft Flight Simulator. The VoloCity air taxi represents our first step toward the introduction of one of the widely-requested aircraft – helicopters! The VoloCity air taxi will release in November of this year.
Reno Air Races
Finally, we are excited to announce our partnership with RARA (the Reno Air Racing Association) to bring the famous STIHL National Championship Air Races, the world’s fastest motorsport, to Microsoft Flight Simulator. Many of the planes can fly up to 500 mph at an altitude between 50 ft and 250 ft above ground. The Reno Air Races represent the first major expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Simmers will now be able to race against their friends or pilots from around the world with the addition of competitive multiplayer to the sim. The Reno Air Races expansion pack will be available this Fall.
We are excited to share so much news at gamescom this year and look forward to an action-packed remainder of the year. The Sky is Calling!
Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available on Xbox Series X|S with Xbox Game Pass, Windows 10 with Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Steam.
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