PMDG to release the DC-6 very soon for MSFS, 737 coming later this year, possibly the 777 too!

A handful of revealing updates today from PMDG, as Robert Randazzo seemingly confirmed our suspicions. In a lengthy show-and-tell post on the company’s official forum, the founder of PMDG has revealed that the studio’s focus for product releases in MSFS has shifted towards the DC-6 Cloudmaster, soon to be released, to be followed by the 737 and possibly the 777 until the end of 2021. Even the 747 isn’t forgotten, expected for the first half of 2022!

It’s the update that we have all been waiting for. It answers most of the lingering questions that have persisted in most of our minds. Firstly, it confirms that PMDG is in fact “all-in” on MSFS, completely focused on investing in this new platform, which “allow us (PMDG) to simulate our favorite airlines to a degree never before possible“. Secondly, it also makes PMDG’s product roadmap for MSFS completely clear. Now we know exactly what’s coming, with a good estimate about when it’s coming too. Sadly, the JS4100 seems to have been left behind, but otherwise everything is looking very promising.

Mr. Randazzo detailed some of the thought processes that have been behind the decisions that were made inside PMDG regarding the future. The decision to go ahead with a fully new development process for MSFS, instead of going with a “port-over” process for existing projects, has proved to be a success. Porting existing products would have been the easier way to go, but much less rewarding, and the team is happy that they decided to go with a completely new development process for MSFS. It has taken many months of work, but it’s now coming to fruition.

During this time, while working on multiple projects simultaneously, it became clear inside PMDG that the DC-6 was moving along at a faster pace than the other projects, thus overtaking the 737, beating it to a release (remember, the 737 was supposed to come first).

The DC-6 has now reached a point so far ahead in the development cycle that PMDG was compelled to create their own YouTube channel, now hosting more than a dozen tutorial videos about the DC-6. There you can see this classic airliner in all its glory, absolutely stunning from seemingly every angle, fully ready to get your attention and complete devotion. In a startling revelation, Mr. Randazzo says that there will be more videos detailing the in-depth systems of the airplane and how to operate its radial engines, and then shift focus to new videos about the 737 and the 747… “once the DC-6 is out the door over the next couple of weeks” (!!!).

So, here you have it folks. We don’t know if Mr. Randazzo reads our words but it surely seems to after what we wrote last week. PMDG is starting to deliver, in what should be a joyous time for all simmers, especially those flying in MSFS. It also helps to put a nail in the coffin about the “limitations” in developing for the new Microsoft Flight Simulator. If it’s not posing any major hurdles for PMDG, it should be much of a problem for other developers working on less-complex aircraft. The future is bright!