Flight Sim flying into sunset? |
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Flight Sim flying into sunset?
Microsoft's cutbacks are hitting its video-game operations particularly hard, including game development and related online operations. Microsoft isn't giving many details, but it is confirming reports that it closed Aces Studio, which was responsible for the long-running Flight Simulator game.
The company says it remains "committed" to the Flight Simulator franchise but declined to comment when I asked if there will be future versions, perhaps developed by others. "You should expect us to continue to invest in enabling great LIVE experiences on Windows, including flying games," a representative said in an email.
Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, which includes its video-game operations, appear to be a major focus of the companywide cutbacks announced yesterday, according to reports by Mary Jo Foley and others. The division had been been expanding aggressively -- experiencing a 21 percent increase in headcount expenses last fiscal year, according to Microsoft's annual 10-K filing.
The company said yesterday that it would be cutting its overall budget for contract employees by about 15 percent, in addition to the 5,000 job cuts it expects to make among direct employees over the next 18 months. Games make extensive use of contractors. VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi reports that a sizable proportion of the company's video-game testers are among the cutbacks.
Cutbacks are also affecting Web operations related to video games, including the Gamerscore blog.
But the Flight Sim is the biggest shocker so far. Although Microsoft isn't being definitive about the game's future, many of its fans are assuming it's gone, calling it the end of an era.
About Todd Bishop
Todd Bishop is co-founder and managing editor of TechFlash. He has covered Microsoft and the technology industry for more than five years, most recently as a daily newspaper reporter and blogger based in Seattle.
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