It is Saturday and my team just lost, so that is why I am asking such an obtuse question.

If I am a software publisher/retailer and have successfully sold Aircraft and Airports for many years for existing flight simulators but now have switched to developing for a new flight simulator, why would I want to stop selling my old products?

Correct me if I am wrong (probably am) but the software master copy, for want of a better term, is still on my server. It only takes up a couple of Gigs space. It does not cost anything to maintain. I do not have to update it . It does not go mouldy like actual products may. I do not need to employ extra staff. I can still have it on my purchase menu but with no support available. It costs me nothing.

It can earn me a few bucks if someone still wants to buy it.

What sense is there then, in withdrawing it from sale?

If, after a year or so, no copies have sold, OK remove it.

I just don't see the business logic.

 

 

Edited February 28Feb 28 by IanHarrison
extraneous characters

Get ready for everyone to say "Why not just offer it as freeware".  

52 minutes ago, IanHarrison said:

I just don't see the business logic.

It's a good question. Presumably it's a way of terminating support costs.

Why not make it available as freeware (without support) is a good question too. After all it's an act of good will to previous customers, many of whom will go on to become future customers of newer software.

Didn't Milviz do something similar with their P3D catalogue?

Yeah, support costs would be my guess.  You sell it, then you need to support it.

Even offering it as freeware "as-is", people will assume that it will be supported regardless.  

 

Yes, but Ian is asking the question "why not carry on selling it, but STATE CLEARLY that all support has been terminated"? Why is that a problem?

Edited February 28Feb 28 by Christopher Low

Haven't you made enough $$ from selling it already? 

My uneducated guess is they want to encourage folks on to the new platform so they can sell more there. I don't know but personally I think it leaves a sore feeling to people who want to keep developing and adding to their older sim if that's what they choose to do.  I've wondered this often myself. 

3 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

..why not carry on selling it, but STATE CLEARLY that all support has been terminated"? Why is that a problem?

This works in theory, but you'd be surprised how many users still flood the chat/forums with "I'm not asking for support, but...." posts. 

Because most of these flightsim developers have no aptitude for business, and not much common sense to boot.

Carenado is a prime example.  They still sell dozens of P3D products for full price as they did before MSFS when P3D sales were much higher.  I've no doubt that they don't make much, if any, money off them, as I'm sure sales have dropped off a cliff and many folks like me who still use P3D refuse to pay a high price for an obsolete product.  If they simply sold them for half price they'd at least make some money from them.

Dave

Edited March 1Mar 1 by dave2013

17 minutes ago, dave2013 said:

Because most of these flightsim developers have no aptitude for business, and not much common sense to boot.

Carenado is a prime example.  They still sell dozens of P3D products for full price as they did before MSFS when P3D sales were much higher.  I've no doubt that they don't make much, if any, money off them, as I'm sure sales have dropped off a cliff and many folks like me who still use P3D refuse to pay a high price for an obsolete product.  If they simply sold them for half price they'd at least make some money from them.

Dave

I am no businessman, but if sales have "dropped off a cliff" because of MSFS,
isn't that because the demand has evaporated, regardless of the price?

If, as may be the case, that P3D users have moved en masse to MSFS, it seems
unlikely that they will still be in the market for addons for a simulator that they no
longer use.

If the issue is not price, even a fraction of the sales at the asking price might be
better for them than the same fraction at a discount.

31 minutes ago, Reader said:

If the issue is not price, even a fraction of the sales at the asking price might be
better for them than the same fraction at a discount.

It's all about incentive.  I'm not incentivized to pay $40 for a P3D plane, but I might be for $20, and definitely for $10. 

The point is, they would at least get paid something for the sale, which otherwise wouldn't happen at a higher price point.  Only they know the actual sales figures.  Heck, maybe there are still quite a few folks paying $40 for a P3D plane, but I doubt it.

It wouldn't be hard to just have a trial sale on P3D stuff and see how much the sales increase, but they're too dumb to even try that.

In the meantime, I've been busy making freeware planes, and have so far made several that I will no longer have to buy from Carenado, so at a minimum they've lost a lot of money they could have had from me.

Dave

Edited March 1Mar 1 by dave2013

4 hours ago, dave2013 said:

Because most of these flightsim developers have no aptitude for business, and not much common sense to boot.

Carenado is a prime example.  

 

Carenado? Not really a great example of a developer having 'no aptitude for business, and not much common sense to boot.'

After six years of making many of the OE aircraft and piling up sales after sales in the MSFS marketplace I would imagine Carenado's accountants no longer count the money.

They just weigh it...

Saying devs (most of which have been afloat for over 10+ years or have become major first-party partners with Microsoft) have "no aptitude" for business is one of the hotter takes I've read on this forum in a while. 🤣

On 2/28/2026 at 7:53 PM, Christopher Low said:

Yes, but Ian is asking the question "why not carry on selling it, but STATE CLEARLY that all support has been terminated"? Why is that a problem?

Of course, there are no answers from the major suppliers. 

Wonder why?

13 hours ago, dave2013 said:

It's all about incentive.  I'm not incentivized to pay $40 for a P3D plane, but I might be for $20, and definitely for $10. 

The point is, they would at least get paid something for the sale, which otherwise wouldn't happen at a higher price point.  Only they know the actual sales figures.  Heck, maybe there are still quite a few folks paying $40 for a P3D plane, but I doubt it.

 

However, if the reason that sales have dropped off your cliff is that hardly anyone uses P3D anymore,
then hardly anyone will be even looking to buy add-ons, regardless of price.
Most people do not buy something that they have no need of, just because it's cheap.