I haven't posted here in a long long time but obviously the Flight hooha has got me back.How many copies of FSX were sold?How many copies of 3rd party software has been sold for it (I don't include FS9 or earlier addons)?I bet the vast majority of FSX units sold have never been associated with a single piece of 3rd party software, i.e., this flightsim, addon purchasing, forum dwelling community is most likely a MINORITY when one consideres the whole community of FSX customers.I accept I don't know any of the figures and so may be way off, but my personal experience of online communities (over the entire history of the Internet and for multiple completely seperate pursuits) is that they completely over estimate their improtance and their contribution to any particular pursuit/business/etc. That is, I'm willing to bet that you guys and gals here are the vocal MINORITY.If the FSX/3rd party publisher symbiosis was such a great business model for MS, why did they decide to kill FSX and subsequent flight sims? Obviosuly, from MS's perspective, it was not such a flash deal.If 3rd party publishers were the only reason a flightsim would be viable for MS, do you really think they would be so brainless to invest further millions in a new game and exclude the 3rd party publishers?As one of the largest companies in the world, I suspect MS have their fingers on the data, the details, extensive professional analysis (not armchair forum dwellers opinion), etc. to have a pretty good idea as to what will make them money. And that, at the end of the day, is what they are in business to do; It's not a non-for-profit organisation, it's not an aviation evangalist organisation, it's not Father Christmas, it's a company and they are in control of their destiny. As the saying goes, "deal with it".I'm with the OP. I think the current state of Flight is in part due to the actions of the 3rd party publishers. If you read the PMDG, he clearly states that MS approached them to be part of Flight and they repeatedly "demured". After multiple attempts, MS finally washed their hands of them and now they're crying foul. I'd say that sounds like a major business miscalculation on their part and if I was MS I would have done exactly the same.As to what Flight will become, sounds good to me although it's far too early to tell and the leaks obout the beta are mostly transparently sour-grapes. I never saw the point of publishing a half-baked piece of software that had to be 'rescued' by further substantial expenditure on 3rd party software. Most people wwould simply no go there. Now that they know it will be fully supported by the primary publisher, MS will see a much better buy in to it. That's good for them and that's who they are looking after....not you.Rant over.