Blockbuster games are becoming increasingly expensive for players. For instance, the price of Black Myth: Wukong at over 1.2 million VND can even be considered “cheap,” especially when compared to many AAA titles priced up to $70 (nearly 2 million VND).
However, sometimes a high price does not guarantee quality. The recent case of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 serves as a clear example of this.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator series is well-known among gamers, once regarded as one of the highest-capacity games upon release. The games in this series have always been priced steeply, reaching up to 1.7 million VND.
However, just two days after its release on Steam, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 unexpectedly experienced a significant drop in player engagement. Out of 4,000 reviews on Steam, only a handful were positive, while the rest were strong criticisms directed at this expensive game.
The reasons are quite simple, as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has been continuously reported by players for severe issues and bugs. From excessively long loading times during the first experience to the inability to log into the game, these problems have led to numerous negative consequences. Initially boasting over 24,000 concurrent players at launch, this number plummeted to 13,282 after just one day, and now stands at around 8,000—a significant failure for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. More importantly, the game’s rating has dropped to just 27% on Steam, with player reviews categorized as “Mostly Negative.”
The developers of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 have also issued an apology regarding this issue, admitting that the technical preparations for the servers were inadequate and caused the aforementioned problems. It remains uncertain when Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will be able to operate smoothly again, but certainly, given the substantial investment, players have the right to expect more from such a blockbuster title.