Successor to landmark “Flight Simulator” franchise scheduled to land on shelves Holiday 2006

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas tonight, Microsoft officially unveiled “Flight Simulator X” and provided an exciting first look at the innovative new title. During Microsoft’s keynote, hosted by Chief Software Architect Bill Gates, attendees were given an exclusive sneak peek at the jaw-dropping realism and exciting new content enabled through “Flight Simulator X,” which is scheduled to be available this holiday.

Published by Microsoft Game Studios and developed by ACES studio, “Flight Simulator X” is 10th addition to the highly successful “Flight Simulator” franchise and is regarded as one of the most popular Windows franchises in history.

“Flight Simulator X” is the culmination of nearly 25 years of the landmark “Flight Simulator” franchise and the most significant addition to date. “Flight Simulator X” will be fully optimized for Windows Vista. “Flight Simulator X” will set the standard for technological innovation, incredible graphics and realism for the genre. “Flight Simulator X” will also present players with a wide array of new aircraft to fly in a beautifully rich and believable world which will contain greater detail than past entries in the franchise. Players will be able to experience what it is like to be a pilot and have real distractions, to shade their eyes from the glare of reflective paint and the glint from glass and chrome. Players will enjoy the opportunity to fly their dream aircraft, from classic seaplanes like the de Havilland Beaver and Grumman Goose to the Cessna 172 there is a plane for every terrain and every player.

“Flight Simulator X” will also enable players to enjoy a connected world through an improved online experience. With more than 24,000 airports located on every continent, players will be able to explore their home town or a favorite far off city.

Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox® video game system and Windows® and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises as Age of Empires®, Flight Simulator and Zoo Tycoon™; Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), including such franchises as Halo®, Project Gotham Racing and MechAssault; and Zone.com (http://www.zone.com/), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as Bejeweled and OutSmart™.