A2A to focus on MSFS for entertainment products

[abrams_tank 7,490]

Quote

Following the recent release of Lockheed Martin’s Prepar3D v6, a few of our customers have asked whether we plan to support our existing Prepar3D v5 products in the new simulator. All of our resources are currently focused on developing Accu-Sim 2.0 for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and we are not currently planning to update any of our existing products for Prepar3D v6.

However, our existing Prepar3D customers who upgrade to v6 are free to move older v5 product into v6 as they wish. Just be aware that Accu-Sim works through Prepar3D’s SimConnect interface and there is no guarantee things will work well or even at all in v6.

We know some will find this disappointing, but we simply don’t have the manpower at present to adapt our existing library for Prepar3D v6. Our future is the newest iteration of Accu-Sim, and Microsoft Flight Simulator is currently our focus for entertainment products. However, Prepar3D remains key to our commercial and military training applications and both simulators represent the very best at what they are designed to do.

Thanks,

https://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=74625

[ryanbatc 13,084]

No surprise there.  Developers are actually making money with their msfs addons.  Back in the day it would be rare to clear 10K USD with a small addon.

[omarsmak30 4,068]

This will make P3D folks even more upset than ever 

Edited July 3, 2023 by omarsmak30

[abrams_tank 7,490]

6 minutes ago, omarsmak30 said:

This will make P3D folks even more upset than ever 

I think PMDG set the lead and other devs will probably follow.  FSLabs had already alluded they would prioritize MSFS going forward, but I don't think they made a statement about P3D version 6 yet. iFly also said they are prioritizing releasing their 737 Max for MSFS right now and that would remain their priority until it was released.

With PMDG and A2A saying they won't support P3D version 6 on its release (and PMDG saying they would reassess after their 747 is released for MSFS), and based on what FSLabs and iFly are saying, I am going to guess it will probably lead to a lot of other developers saying they won't support P3D version 6, and will prioritize MSFS going forward.

While this benefits the MSFS ecosystem, it's unfortunate for the P3D folks though, especially the ones that plan to buy P3D version 6.

Edited July 3, 2023 by abrams_tank

[Sky_Pilot071 583]

7 minutes ago, omarsmak30 said:

This will make P3D folks even more upset than ever 

The writing has been on the wall for some time.

sp

[Matchstick 1,910]

1 hour ago, abrams_tank said:

I think PMDG set the lead and other devs will probably follow.  FSLabs had already alluded they would prioritize MSFS going forward, but I don't think they made a statement about P3D version 6 yet. iFly also said they are prioritizing releasing their 737 Max for MSFS right now and that would remain their priority until it was released.

With PMDG and A2A saying they won't support P3D version 6 on its release (and PMDG saying they would reassess after their 747 is released for MSFS), and based on what FSLabs and iFly are saying, I am going to guess it will probably lead to a lot of other developers saying they won't support P3D version 6, and will prioritize MSFS going forward.

While this benefits the MSFS ecosystem, it's unfortunate for the P3D folks though, especially the ones that plan to buy P3D version 6.

I'd argue it was not even PMDG that set the lead, that was set last year by Milviz and AH.

[BMIBaby 17]

Steady on - most of them on the A2A forum haven't moved from FSX yet!

[Bobsk8 12,918]

This reminds me of when companies stopped making VHS tapes. 

[level7 176]

6 hours ago, MarcoPolo said:

Steady on - most of them on the A2A forum haven't moved from FSX yet!

FS2002 and FS2004 is still surprising high according to  FlightSim Community Survey Results 2022.

[JaseMelbo 391]

They're a business - gotta follow the money.

Great move I reckon.

Jase

[UrgentSiesta 944]

9 hours ago, Matchstick said:

I'd argue it was not even PMDG that set the lead, that was set last year by Milviz and AH.

And Aerosoft, and Quality Wings, and Carenado, and SWS and SSW and...and...and

[UrgentSiesta 944]

9 hours ago, MarcoPolo said:

Steady on - most of them on the A2A forum haven't moved from FSX yet!

We're waiting for the really good addons like A2A, et al to show up. 

Not to mention a real, honest to goodness F/A-18E, P-51 Mustang or long haul airliner. 

[Sky_Pilot071 583]

I think the point of this thread is that devs NEED to follow the money.

sp

[kiwikat 531]

3 hours ago, level7 said:

FS2002 and FS2004 is still surprising high according to  FlightSim Community Survey Results 2022.

Not really- the folks who take that survey are generally hardcore simmers. They're more likely to be using and sticking with the older sims. If you added in the huge MSFS userbase both on XBox and PC to this, the bars would look completely different. I believe developers when they say 99% of their activations are for MSFS rather than P3D. I wouldn't be surprised if X-Plane held less than 5-10% of the total market. Perhaps their mobile offering would bump them up a few points?

It'd be interesting to see the real™ numbers here, not just a subset of hardcore simmers that both know about and choose to take the survey. I do believe the direction 3PDs are going illustrates it well enough though.

Edited July 4, 2023 by kiwikat

[abrams_tank 7,490]

1 hour ago, Sky_Pilot071 said:

I think the point of this thread is that devs NEED to follow the money.

sp

Yep, the 3rd party developers will just follow the money and the money right now in the consumer market is in MSFS. And LM are also following the money - the money is in the military market and commercial market for LM. LM simply does not care much about the consumer market because they don't make much money from it.

If one day, another flight simulator takes over the overwhelming market share of the consumer flight simulation market away from MSFS, the 3rd party devs will also leave MSFS for this new flight simulator (but for the foreseeable future, I can't see that happening any time soon).

Edited July 4, 2023 by abrams_tank