Asobo Studio has revealed a very ambitious addition to its upcoming game Microsoft Flight Simulator; it will contain every single airport in the world. Flight Simulator is slated for release sometime this year and is one of 2020's most anticipated releases, as well as one of the most visually striking.

Fans of Microsoft's Flight Simulator series were heartbroken when Aces Game Studio, a subsidiary of Microsoft and the team in charge of developing the simulator series, shut down in 2009. Since then, the only new flight simulators have come from third-party developers. During their E3 presentation in 2019, Microsoft announced a reboot of the series, developed by Asobo Studio, a studio previously known for adaptations of licensed products, most notably Pixar films. Despite the studio's less than distinguished credentials, the trailer at E3 impressed with a variety of beautiful planes and environments, and left fans eager to learn more.

It seems the studio is gearing up to impress further still. In a recent developer update (via Game Rant), Asobo Studio discussed the process they were using to introduce every airport in the world into Microsoft Flight Simulator. At least 37,000 airports were manually edited for inclusion in the game, and if the developer's claims hold true, thousands and thousands more may be featured in the full release. This inclusion ranges from small countryside airstrips to big international travel hubs like JFK in New York. Asobo Studio is accomplishing this feat through the use of satellite photos, and uniquely designed toolsets that let them map these photos straight into the game. From there they can program runways and taxi paths for AI planes.


In addition to this somewhat monumental inclusion, Asobo Studio is introducing new immersion upgrades to airport docking procedures. These changes include luggage service NPCs, ground vehicles that behave realistically to the point of turning on headlights at night, and jet bridges that attach themselves accurately to the fuselage of your airplane. There are also updated options for fuel service and AI planes that inhabit airports performing their own ground services. These updates may not strike the casual player as especially thrilling, but hardcore simulation fans are sure to appreciate this updated level of immersion. Content creation tools, which allow players to set their own behavior for ground services, were also discussed.

The Flight Simulator series has become as well-known as it is for its dedication to immersive, realistic airplane flight. It's this level of detail that keeps simulator fans invested and which may have kept it going as one of the longest-running PC game series of all time. Introducing every airport in the world into their latest installment is no small feat. It serves as a tremendous indicator of how dedicated Asobo Studio and Microsoft are to making this simulator as true to life as they can. If their efforts pay off, then the amount of anticipation that's been built up around this game is undoubtedly warranted.