3 hours ago, chapstick said:

 

The Asobo team stated that they felt it'd be inappropriate to show up to the expo with the state of the sim. They felt their time would be better spent heads down working on the next sim update. 

They have over 300 developers working on it. If it’s a matter of saving face, then I get it. It just seems wrong for at least Jorg and Seb to not show up and at least address the issues they’re faced with. 

4 hours ago, chapstick said:

 

The Asobo team stated that they felt it'd be inappropriate to show up to the expo with the state of the sim. They felt their time would be better spent heads down working on the next sim update. 

link?

looks like LR had a really nice setup this year, pushing maybe a full quarter of the floor space (all those laptops on tables were theirs..?). I've seen a really nice overhead view but can't seem to find it now.

Edited July 1, 2025Jul 1 by mSparks

Out of curiosity, I wonder how many participated in the workshop for learning the new scenery development. It would be interesting to the know the enthusiasm.  

17 hours ago, GoranM said:

Asobo not showing up is a bit of a slap in the face to the flight sim community. I flew 10 000 miles for the expo, on my own money. And I have done so, every year since 2018. 
It’s not as if they can’t afford it. 

Hi,

 

I believe as the online XP12 and MS2020 market place becomes the new norm, we'll see less and less 3rd party providers going to these shows.

3 hours ago, GoranM said:

They have over 300 developers working on it. If it’s a matter of saving face, then I get it. It just seems wrong for at least Jorg and Seb to not show up and at least address the issues they’re faced with. 

Plenty of people would complain that they only sent one or two dudes who wouldn’t be able to answer many technical questions anyway. It’s a lose-lose situation for them that they got themselves into. Let them dig out of the hole they’re in the way they see fit.

Anyway, why are we talking about Asobo in a thread about LR? 

1 hour ago, BobFS88 said:

Out of curiosity, I wonder how many participated in the workshop for learning the new scenery development. It would be interesting to the know the enthusiasm.  

More than half the desks were occupied for the tutorials. It was a pretty good turn out. 
 

 

47 minutes ago, Mike_CFII_MEL said:

I believe as the online XP12 and MS2020 market place becomes the new norm, we'll see less and less 3rd party providers going to these shows.

Possibly. I just go to meet new people and catch up with the laminar guys. 

2 minutes ago, chapstick said:

Plenty of people would complain that they only sent one or two dudes who wouldn’t be able to answer many technical questions anyway. It’s a lose-lose situation for them that they got themselves into.

Now THAT is true. 
 

 

6 minutes ago, chapstick said:

Anyway, why are we talking about Asobo in a thread about LR? 

Most of us are capable of discussing all flight sims without it escalating into pointless, tribalistic arguments. 
I certainly don’t mind discussing all flight sims. As long as it’s done objectively without it going into personal attacks. 

48 minutes ago, GoranM said:

More than half the desks were occupied for the tutorials. It was a pretty good turn out. 

That good to know that folks are taking an interest in developing for the next gen scenery. Hopefully there will be some newcomers next year where we will see more X Plane 3P announcement in next years show. 

Edited July 1, 2025Jul 1 by BobFS88

11 hours ago, tonywob said:

Even Lockheed Martin have made an effort in the past. Clearly MS/Asobo are too big for it to be worth their while.

Honestly, I think they're ducking for cover after the rocky v2024 release.

Probably wise, too. Those tomato stains are hard to get out of ones shirts 😉

6 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

Honestly, I think they're ducking for cover after the rocky v2024 release.

Probably wise, too. Those tomato stains are hard to get out of ones shirts 😉

I think its probably a completely different issue. Namely that it's layoff season in US tech industry right now.

 

 

Edited July 2, 2025Jul 2 by mSparks

The day that some management deems that maintaining MFS services is too costly we will see the cries of all of us who have a simulator like 2024 without the option of offline mode and as the industry is right now with massive cost reductions and layoffs.....

4 hours ago, Aglos77 said:

The day that some management deems that maintaining MFS services is too costly we will see the cries of all of us who have a simulator like 2024 without the option of offline mode and as the industry is right now with massive cost reductions and layoffs.....

I discussed this with some commercial MSFS developers. They do hold some concern over what the future brings due to sales figures between 2020 and 2024. 2 of them are skeptical over asobos reasons for not showing up, but that can be put down to personal opinion. 

Edited July 2, 2025Jul 2 by GoranM

The following message from Phil Spencer was shared to all gaming staff today:

Quote

Today we are sharing decisions that will impact colleagues across our organization. To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness. Out of respect for those impacted today, the specifics of today’s notifications and any organizational shifts will be shared by your team leaders in the coming days.

I recognize that these changes come at a time when we have more players, games, and gaming hours than ever before. Our platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger. The success we're seeing currently is based on tough decisions we've made previously. We must make choices now for continued success in future years and a key part of that strategy is the discipline to prioritize the strongest opportunities. We will protect what is thriving and concentrate effort on areas with the greatest potential, while delivering on the expectations the company has for our business. This focused approach means we can deliver exceptional games and experiences for players for generations to come.

Prioritizing our opportunities is essential, but that does not lessen the significance of this moment. Simply put, we would not be where we are today without the time, energy, and creativity of those whose roles are impacted. These decisions are not a reflection of the talent, creativity, and dedication of the people involved. Our momentum is not accidental — it is the result of years of dedicated effort from our teams.

HR is working directly with impacted employees to provide severance plan benefits (aligned with local laws), including pay, healthcare coverage, and job placement resources to support their transition. Employees whose roles were eliminated are encouraged to explore open positions across Microsoft Gaming, where their applications will be given priority review.

Thank you to everyone who has shaped our culture, our products, and our community. We will move forward with deep appreciation and respect for all who have contributed to this journey.

Phil

ouch, yep, that's why they weren't there.

Edited July 2, 2025Jul 2 by mSparks

5 hours ago, GoranM said:

I discussed this with some commercial MSFS developers. They do hold some concern over what the future brings due to sales figures between 2020 and 2024. 2 of them are skeptical over asobos reasons for not showing up, but that can be put down to personal opinion. 

 

Do these developers' mean sales of the sim itself or their own products? Assuming they are not new developers, they should understand there is a transition period on any platform where people continue to use previously purchased addons.  This was also the case for XP11 -> XP12.

A few months back on the live stream Jorg said they had between 1 - 2 million first time users after the launch and he also said MS2024 userbase already surpassed 2020.  I believe as long as the addon-on is good, it will sell.

The flight sim market has never been stronger in my opinion as evidenced with the vast amount of hardware on showcase at the expo.

 

15 minutes ago, brinx said:

Do these developers' mean sales of the sim itself or their own products?

Sales of the sim. Not their add ons. 
 

 

15 minutes ago, brinx said:

Assuming they are not new developers, they should understand there is a transition period on any platform where people continue to use previously purchased addons.  This was also the case for XP11 -> XP12.

This transition period is definitely a factor, but it’s agreeable that 2024 isn’t doing anything remotely close to sales as 2020 did. X-Plane 12 did incredibly well in its first few months after release. I think Austin said he sold more copies of 12 in the first month than 11 did in its first year. Or something to that effect. It did well enough that Austin was able to hire 10 more developers, taking the number of laminar employees to 30. 
 

 

15 minutes ago, brinx said:

A few months back on the live stream Jorg said they had between 1 - 2 million first time users after the launch and he also said MS2024 userbase already surpassed 2020.  I believe as long as the addon-on is good, it will sell.

I’m having trouble reconciling these numbers with steam stats when compared to 2020. Even when extrapolated to include non steam users. Let’s say for every steam purchase of MSFS, there are 10 Microsoft store purchases. It still doesn’t add up. If jorg uses the words “first time users” instead of “sales” then I’m inclined to believe gamepass was a big factor. 
 

 

15 minutes ago, brinx said:

The flight sim market has never been stronger in my opinion as evidenced with the vast amount of hardware on showcase at the expo.

I can agree with that.  But contrary to some people’s opinion, it’s not solely because of asobo. It also includes commercial developers and hardware builders bringing something people want to see in what my wife calls, a boring genre. Even my daughter was dismissive of flight sims, until she did a circuit in X-Plane.