GotFriends, the group behind some of the most beloved and quirkiest addons for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, has announced a pivot to the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace exclusively for future sales. In the announcement posted on their Discord and their development update thread on the official Microsoft Flight Simulator forums, GotFriends founder and Project Lead ‘Jonx’ began by reflecting on their progress since they were founded to present-day status.
The developer group has produced the default AeroElvira Optica found in MSFS2024, while also contributing to several other aircraft packaged with the simulator, such as the Zlin Aviation Norden and Patey Draco X. This experience gave the group exposure and insight into Microsoft’s vision for the platform and for the hobby at large. This move is a sign of their buy-in to that vision.
Evolution of the flight simulation ecosystem has occurred in parallel with GotFriends’ growth as an addon development company, and Jonx further explained that shifting to the MSFS Marketplace allows them to take advantage of the product rental and trial options offered there. Career mode integration, which up until now is still restricted to default and compatible Marketplace aircraft, is also a strong Marketplace product perk, along with the ability to purchase addons on the console versions of the simulator.
Simultaneously offering products on the MSFS Marketplace and other storefronts requires maintaining different versions of their products across storefronts, which works against GotFriends’ efforts to provide a unified, consistent experience to all customers. As aviation lovers and creatives at heart, trimming down the obligatory administrative tasks in their operation will allow the team to further prioritize what they do best, Jonx explained, which is producing high-quality addons for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Existing customers who have already purchased GotFriends’ products elsewhere need not worry, though. While sales directly from their site will officially be discontinued on August 7th, Jonx reports that the team is in talks with the folks over at Contrail to finalize the transition process with that vendor and pin down a timeline for completion. Regardless, the ability for customers to download and update their purchases already made from either of these storefronts will remain.
The message continued with some further news from the GotFriends lead. The first of their new products to be offered solely on the Marketplace will be their Taylorcraft BC-12D. While the team had initially aimed for a July 31 release, it has been delayed due to this shift in sales strategy and is now expected to be submitted to Microsoft in mid-August.
While this may seem disappointing for some who eagerly await this bird, Jonx reassured that this delay will allow them to provide an even more polished and complete product. Customers might also be excited to know that, as a result of this development, the AS 33 Me, Aeroprakt A-32 Vixxen, and Project Crosskart have already been conditionally approved for release on PlayStation 5. Since the announcement was posted, the latter two have already been made available in the Marketplace on that console.
While the team’s founder wrapped up the message with an optimistic outlook on what’s to come, the sentiment from those reacting to the post on Discord and the MSFS forums was not completely cheerful. Some welcomed the move, citing their own pleasant experiences with Marketplace purchases and the improvements Microsoft has made to the Marketplace, particularly regarding the speed at which updated products have been pushed to customers.
Others who were not amused about the imminent change expressed frustration with the limitations on access to Marketplace product files, which hamper their modifiability and limit the community’s ability to make their own improvements. Some also shared their discomfort with the Marketplace’s universal Simcoin currency, which seemingly makes tracking purchases extremely challenging, if not impossible.
With this shift, GotFriends sees itself as better positioned to continue serving the community with high-quality content at affordable prices. Might other developers make the switch from direct sales and third-party vendors to the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace exclusively? Only time will tell.
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