In one surprising announcement of many,Microsoft Flight Simulatorrevealed that it would be receiving a crossover expansion with the recent movie adaptation ofDune, something which could now set a precedent for other sim games to follow in its wake.Microsoft Flight Simulatorhad plenty to share during last weekend’s Xbox Games Showcase, such as the bigreveal of the sequelMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024.However, in the spirit of sequels, the expansion which brings the Atreides Ornithopter toMicrosoft Flight Simulatorhas occupied the spotlight as its release will coincide with the highly anticipatedDune Part Twolater this year.
Though it’s not the first crossoverMicrosoft Flight Simulatorhas seen as it haspreviously collaborated withHalo InfiniteandTop Gun: Maverickin 2022, it might be among the last if a sequel is set for a 2024 release date. But it could be a sign that developers are seeing increased potential in gaming crossovers, asMicrosoft Flight Simulatorisn’t the only game to have teamed up with various fan-favorite, nostalgic, and cult classic entertainment properties. So thanks to the hype and engagement they generate, developers could be going all in on future collaborations in order to grab a slice of the lucrative trend before it’s gone.
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Gaming Crossovers Then Versus Now
As virtually every gamer will know, there are certain games whose lifeblood almost completely consists of crossovers, with many familiar examples including the likes ofFortnite,Fall Guys,orDead by Daylight. With the surge in the free-to-play format making these games popular and accessible for players, it wasn’t long before brands, franchises, and more recognized the potential reach they could have by collaborating. The best demonstration of this isFortnite’smastery of crossovers, as not only does it go beyond just entertainment by partnering with athletes, musicians, content creators, anime, and more, but it actually integrates these into its ongoing story.
Other games which heavily rely upon crossovers as one of their main selling points are those that players might not immediately think of as crossovers at all. Examples of these include theSuper Smash Bros.,Kingdom Hearts, andMarvel vs. Capcomseries among far too many others to list, with plenty due to the abundance offighting games crossovers seen inStreet FighterandMortal Kombat. Importantly, most if not all of these games predate the current trend seen with the likes ofFortnite,so while fan-service crossovers are nothing new, there does seem to be a comparative shift in how developers are approaching them.
The New Quid Pro Quo of Gaming Crossovers
While some crossovers don’t feel like overt attempts to capitalize on name recognition or nostalgia, such as the recentSea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Islandexpansion also announced at the Xbox Games Showcase, it seems harder to tell in recent years. Sometimes there is a general justification for a crossover, such asMicrosoft Flight Simulatorpartnering withTop Gun: Maverickfor obvious reasons, but this isn’t always the case. For instance, eyebrows were raised whenPowerWash Simulatorrevealed crossovers with bothTomb RaiderandFinal Fantasy7.
So much likeFortnitecollaborating with TIME to try and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr,PowerWash Simulator’sgrowing list of triple-A crossovers, and now the latestDunetie-in forMicrosoft Flight Simulator, gaming crossovers seem to be taking on a new approach. While studios are always bound to partner with their peers, such as Nintendo’s Mario featuring alongside Sega’s Sonic or Ubisoft’s Rabbids, others appear to be treating crossovers as a transaction. But this model seems to be working as the crossover era seems to show no signs of slowing down, which could see the most unassuming of games score high-profile collaborations and take players by surprise.
Microsoft Flight Simulatoris available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
