Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: Addressing a Turbulent Launch

The launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 faced significant challenges, prompting a public apology and explanation from the development team. Let's delve into the reasons behind the initial difficulties.

Unexpected Demand Overwhelms Servers

Jorg Neumann (MSFS Head) and Sebastian Wloch (Asobo Studio CEO) addressed player concerns in a YouTube video. They acknowledged the immense excitement surrounding the game's release but admitted to underestimating the sheer number of players attempting to access the servers simultaneously. This unprecedented demand severely overloaded the game's infrastructure.

Wloch elaborated on the technical issues. The game's initial data requests from servers to a database, even with a cache tested with 200,000 simulated users, proved insufficient to handle the actual player influx.

Login Queues and Missing Content

Attempts to mitigate the problem by increasing queue size and speed yielded temporary success. However, the database cache repeatedly collapsed under the strain, resulting in extended loading times and the infamous 97% loading screen freeze. This was due to the server's repeated restarts and retries when the cache became saturated.

The reported missing planes and other content stemmed from incomplete data retrieval due to the overloaded servers. Even players who successfully logged in might find parts of the game missing.

Negative Steam Feedback

The launch issues resulted in overwhelmingly negative Steam reviews, reflecting player frustration with long queues and missing content.

Despite the initial setbacks, the development team assures players that they are actively working to resolve the problems. The Steam page now indicates that the issues have been addressed, and players are now being admitted at a more sustainable rate. A sincere apology was issued, and continued updates are promised via social media, forums, and the game's website.