"Microsoft Sells License to FS Franchise" Part 2

[flyerboy 114]

Dovetail Games information here - http://www.develop-online.net/news/dovetail-games-adds-trio-to-dev-team/0193895

 

We will see

[Paul K 1,327]

I bet it's Oleg Maddox, and Orbx's next region will be Stalingrad. Expect an official announcement within the proverbial 'two weeks'.

[z06z33 763]

I will make a guess or two: Google or Facebook owner(s)

 

And I am still amazed and puzzled when I hear many live in the illusion that P3D is the sequel or a replacement of FSX meant to entertain them... 

FSX never entertained me it just frustrated me.... Now I use p3dV2 to learn.......

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

What is going on around here....you guys are talking too much and I am trying to sleep  :lol:

[PhilTaylor 45]

A thought, I think who ever got it was not thinking about gaming, it does not make sense to me why anyone would soak $$$$$$ into this game. I said it once before, if it were as a game selling millions each year, MS I don't think would cancel it and dump the team. They MS have been holding out for something that goes far beyond gaming, something that would bring a high price, something that someone would buy that does not hedge on gaming.

I think those who are hoping for a revival of MSFS may be hoping for the impossible at this point.

 

A thought, I think who ever got it was not thinking about gaming, it does not make sense to me why anyone would soak $$$$$$ into this game. I said it once before, if it were as a game selling millions each year, MS I don't think would cancel it and dump the team. They MS have been holding out for something that goes far beyond gaming, something that would bring a high price, something that someone would buy that does not hedge on gaming.

I think those who are hoping for a revival of MSFS may be hoping for the impossible at this point.

I don't know who might buy and what it might mean.

 

But the economics of FS were not bad, just not "Microsoft scale" which is a billion dollar business.

 

FSX sold on the order of 2 million units. Deluxe was $60, Standard was, I think, 40. With discounts, let's take $30 as the average. That's a 60 million dollar business. With a staff of 50, at an average salary of 100k and a billed cost to the corporation of 2x or 200k, that's 10m salary. If it takes you 3 years to build the product, net profit is 30 million over 3 years, or 10 million per year.

 

Many people would see that as a viable economic model, but it is not "Microsoft scale".

 

Then the studio was behind on its own schedule, the division the product was in (XBox) was increasingly moving away from PC gaming ( evidenced by canceling Age of Empires at the same time ), and the terrible economic times of 2008-2010...and a newly minted VP who desired to look VP-ish...all of that contributed.

 

So yes you could have a nice profitable fun business that provided entertainment and enjoyment, and still get chopped off at the knees.

 

It isn't easy operating at these levels of the industry and there are often "strange forces" at work....

[PigsInSpace 21]

Wow, thanks Phil.

 

I hope its Bruce, BAO were so innovative, would be great to have them behind the franchise and carry the torch again!

 

Go BS EE'75!

 

Paull01

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

 

 

It isn't easy operating at these levels of the industry and there are often "strange forces" at work....

 

Amen! And, I am very glad to see you contributing here Phil. Thanks for joining in!

[deetee 164]

(Dovetail) ...they are flush with cash not just from the PC but also from porting train simulator to consoles...

http://www.dovetailgames.com/about

This is news to me, I didn't know about a console port. Please elaborate!

 

Personally although I have to use a PC for simulation, I hate PC gaming in general.

Playing with a mouse and keyboard is just painful and then there's the OS and the drivers etc.

That is why for gaming I have a PS4.

[Mean Aerodynamic Chord 269]

Personally although I have to use a PC for simulation, I hate PC gaming in general.

Playing with a mouse and keyboard is just painful and then there's the OS and the drivers etc.

That is why for gaming I have a PS4.

It hurts me to read your comment.

[Polar 30]

Phil, point well taken, but to revive this venture would be very costly, and I am not sure w/ todays competition in the gaming world there is a huge market. We all here love flight sim but are a very select group and the price although competitive w/ the rest of the gaming market I just think the hill is to steep to climb. We are not just talking about a single product here, there is a huge investment to flt sim to get the most out of it, one can drop more then a few hundred dollars just to get going, and the learning curve can be steep. I am not much for other games, but my kids would go through these like candy and could buy many games and still not spend the initial needed to have a decent flt sim. I am convinced MS recognized this fact and hence put forth Flight, but at least for MS the profits were not there to justify further development. This select market, us, wanted to keep furthering the MSFS but the market was pretty much used up. The real money was in the third party add-ons and this is where MS I think really dropped the ball. This was one aspect they should have jumped on big time. But we should all find out soon enough, and hopefully I am wrong. :rolleyes:

[HiFlyer 9,359]

This is news to me, I didn't know about a console port. Please elaborate!

 

I can't find it now, but I read a small blurb on a gaming site at right about the time X-Box controller support was announced. The only trace of the (intended?) release I can find now is this:

 

[77west 139]

If they integrate FSX codebase and Train Sim, we might as well call it Microsoft (Dovetail?) World Simulator

[HiFlyer 9,359]

If they integrate FSX codebase and Train Sim, we might as well call it Microsoft (Dovetail?) World Simulator

 

I just don't see it (if it is Dovetail, which we don't know yet)

 

Why would they go through the logistical nightmare of abandoning a wildly successful franchise (Railsim) or even worse, not abandoning it, and competing with themselves in the same limited marketplace?

 

Much more logical (IMHO) to have two separate growth options for the company.

[77west 139]

HiFlyer, on 10 Jun 2014 - 8:19 PM, said:

I just don't see it (if it is Dovetail, which we don't know yet)

 

Why would they go through the logistical nightmare of abandoning a wildly successful franchise (Railsim) or even worse, not abandoning it, and competing with themselves in the same limited marketplace?

 

Much more logical (IMHO) to have two separate growth options for the company.

I agree, but what about taking the FSX world technology and re-writing it and imbedding in the rail sim codebase? Or- the other way round. Trust me I wish WISH WISH they will develop a modern, up to date FS 11 product. With the never ending money grab of DLC these days (Steam, etc) I fear that developers will be locked out or be forced to pay silly amounts though.... 

[deetee 164]

I can't find it now, but I read a small blurb on a gaming site at right about the time X-Box controller support was announced. The only trace of the (intended?) release I can find now is this:

 

 

XB gamepad support has been there for a couple of years, but AFAIK there is no intention of a console port.

I think the above image was someone's idea of a joke when the XB controller support was announced.

In any case last gen consoles would have had a tough time with the graphics, just as they would have if MS Flight had ever made it over!