14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Flight has been canceled at its Vancounver studio, alongside another project, but Microsoft has denied that it is closing down its Vancouver studio, only admitting that it is letting a number of developers go.
Microsoft has issued an official statement saying that, “Microsoft Studios has decided to end development on Microsoft Flight and Project Columbia. As a result of this action, some positions within the development teams have been eliminated. Microsoft human resources is working with the affected individuals to find new roles within the company.”
He added, “Microsoft Studios is invested in British Columbia and still has several teams, both in Vancouver and Victoria, which will continue to produce the best entertainment and gaming experiences possible.”
It’s not clear on what kind of projects the Vancouver team will work from now on.
Microsoft Flight has been launched in late February of this year and was supposed to reboot the flight simulation line at the publisher, with the game getting constant new content packs in order to support future development.
I played the game when it was first introduced and the experience was limited both in scope and in term of mechanics.
The last downloadable content pack for Microsoft Flight was launched in early July and allowed players to explore a vast area of Alaska and use one new aircraft.
Unfortunately, the game has failed to get a clear audience and it is now, officially, no longer part of Microsoft’s line-up.
The other game that Microsoft Vancouver was working on was called Project Columbia and it was supposed to be a mainstream shooter linked to the Kinect motion tracking system.
The fact that Microsoft is canceling projects might mean that the company is restructuring its overall development resources in order to support the next generation of hardware.
Neither Microsoft nor Sony has officially announced new home console devices.