Microsoft Flight Simulator will have an in-game marketplace for add-ons

Microsoft Flight Simulator is going to be so darn large that you'll be able to fly all over the world and land on a gagillion airstrips but the world is not enough, eh Mr. Bond? That giant simulation won't stop creators from adding to and tweaking the game. Asobo Studio say they know how important unofficial add-ons are for Flight Sim, so they're adding an in-game marketplace that will allow approved developers to sell their work to players.

"We recognize that creations by 3rd parties are a vital ingredient to broaden and deepen the Flight Simulation experience so we are excited to announce our Marketplace Partner Program which enables approved partners to sell content within our built-in Marketplace," Asobo say in their development update.

There's no cost to sign up for the partner program, but you will need to apply and be approved. After you're accepted, you can set your own prices for content and track your revenue. Asobo say they're looking to approve creators of all kinds of simulation addons. You can of course still publish or download them elsewhere online whether or not you're in their Marketplace Partner Program, but they want the in-game marketplace to make it easier for players to find and incorporate what they're looking for.

"The Marketplace allows simmers to purchase content without ever leaving the simulator, resulting in significantly reduced friction to complete a purchase," they say. "We firmly believe that the new built-in Marketplace provides a great opportunity for you to reach more customers than you may be able to reach today." Flight Sim itself will be reaching even more customers than Microsoft Flight Simulator X, Asobo believe, thanks to its inclusion in the Xbox Game Pass for PC.

You can find out a bit more in their update, including improvements Asobo are making to the software development kit for Flight Sim based on requests from creators.

The Microsoft Flight Sim beta starts on July 30th, which Asobo now say they'll be sending out invitations for on Thursday, July 23rd.

Microsoft Flight Simulator will launch on August 18th on the Microsoft Store for £60/€70/$60. It will also be available through the Xbox Game Pass for PC.