Parallel 42 offers solutions to give users the most immersive flight simulation experiences on Lockheed Martin & Microsoft Flight Simulators.

🧠 MY THOUGHTS

HAPPY NEW YEAR! On this eve of the new year, I want to recap 2024. It's been 1 year since our last "Dispatch" newsletter...but it's not because we've been idle. This Dispatch is going to be a long one, so get comfy!

2024 has been our biggest year ever as a company in many ways, but I went silent because I felt a shift in our community that has been a bit disturbing. Toxicity has multiplied; no matter what we did, we were getting personally attacked, insulted, and questioned, no matter which direction we pushed forward.

Our unique company builds products for bush pilots AND commercial pilots, airplanes AND ground vehicles, on-screen utilities AND off-screen utilities. When you strike in any category on one side of the market, the other side gets vocal, screaming that they've been abandoned or that we have lost our way. These couldn't be further from the truth, so we chose a silent approach and a year of grinding on things we're passionate about while not caring too much about the "Little Tommy's" crying in the corner.

We believe in letting our work speak for itself. While we understand that different parts of our audience may have unique expectations, we've stayed true to our vision, delivering tools and experiences that push boundaries and bring immersive experiences to flightsim enthusiasts of all types.

We've also been working on ways to amplify the positivity within our community while keeping non-constructive negativity out of our socials and community. Constructive input fuels growth, and we've taken steps to ensure that voices filled with encouragement and ideas shine brightly in our spaces. Thank you for being part of this journey; your support means the world to our small team.

📰 NOTAMS

Here are some critical posts/product updates you may have missed.

📢 Shout Outs

I want to shout out my entire team today. MSFS2024 hit everyone like a ton of bricks; its toll on our company is massive. New releases got delayed to make room for fixing things we didn't expect to have to fix. Other products in development have now been scrapped and will never see the light of day, and EVERYONE had their "top priority" item changed multiple times.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. All this was dropped on our lap on Thanksgiving, during the most family-centric season of the year, when we would typically pull away and take some time off. Yet, every day, I wake up and see people in our virtual office. It reminds me just how fortunate I am to have this incredible team by my side. They are, without a doubt, the best lineup of players I could ever hope for.

The MSFS2024 release arrived and continues to be an unstable development environment. Will the future be bright? Sure. We're innovative, agile, versatile, and overall in a better market position than one-trick ponies. However, decisions we had no input on have put us into this unknown void, which was entirely avoidable. Microsoft made promises to customers on our behalf, but they failed to deliver what was promised, leaving 3rd-party developers with targets on their backs. How Rude!? Luckily, our early efforts to set expectations worked well and everyone seemed happy with our approach to MSFS2024.

I ask our customers to PLEASE be patient with us. We're hard at work, moving carefully and steadily to deliver the quality you deserve without compromising the sustainability of our efforts. With nearly 42 titles in our portfolio, each requiring care and attention, we're committed to ensuring that every step forward is wise and that we're not wasting time on things that MSobo will "fix" and break again.

🏆 Achievements

As a company, we planned for this as best as possible, and somehow, we're surviving. I can't get into detail about how big of an achievement it is to be in a good position during this mess, but it's our most significant achievement this year. We're lucky to be with you as a company and still in business. This position comes from decisions made that some users wouldn't understand or refuse to accept, but know that everything we do is to continue our journey with you.

THANK YOU to those who participated in our Black Friday/Cyber Monday and End of Year sales.

🎙️ Hype

Blu Games gets the hype spot this time around! Blu is one of the few content creators who takes the time to produce a video with a bit of a storyline. This is an excellent way to show off things like our effects package, which requires exact environmental variables to be seen. Sure, it's not as fluid as a live stream, but it's VERY easy to digest and gets to the point.

Blu, we've met a few times now, and it's always a pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to demonstrate our products how you do, and keep up the great work.

If you haven't followed Blu Games yet, now is the time!

VIDEO:

🙏 Asks

No asks at this time. We'll see what develops in 2025!

🖥 Products

I'm going to focus this section on MSFS2024...

Flow

Flow FREE: Will remain exclusive to MSFS 2020 and will not be rebuilt for MSFS 2024.
Essentials & Pro: Fully Native 2024 versions will be developed.
Community Widgets: Fully supported in Flow Pro but may require updates by individual creators
Cost: $2 to update the 2020 version to a 2024 Native version for current owners.

SimFX

A fully rebuilt 2024 Native version is on the way with an adjusted price point and updated feature set.
Cost: Free for current owners.

Immersion Packs

Dependent on associated aircraft updates in MSFS 2024.
2024 Native versions may require adjusted feature sets.
Cost: Free for current owners.

Fox2 Packages

An update will be released to make Fox2 2024 Compatible. This will ensure continued functionality for existing Fox2 products.
Cost: Free compatibility update for current owners.

But wait, there's more...

A completely-new Fox2 (v2) will be built from scratch, it will fully embrace all the new MSFS 2024 features, WWISE sounds, and will put to practice all that we have learned since the release of what is today, our oldest product.
Cost: TBD

Juice Goose

The 2024 Native version is already in testing and drives better than ever!
Cost: $2 to update the 2020 version to a 2024 Native version for current owners.

Campout Utility

A 2024 NATIVE version is in progress to restore proper functionality.
Cost: $2 to update the 2020 version to a 2024 Native version for current owners.

Simstaller

Quite possibly our most downloaded product ever. A 2024 Compatible version is now available. Don't worry about finding your new Community folder; let Simstaller handle it!
Cost: FREE !

Scenes

All scenes will be fully rebuilt as 2024 Native versions.
Cost: $2 to update the 2020 version to a 2024 Native version for current owners.
We've got A LOT of work in this patch, so please be patient with us as we work through the list.

🎯 Strategy

Survive.

🏋 Challenges

Last year's update said, "None at this time". That's not the case this year. We've got to navigate this 2024 storm efficiently. By the way, do you feel silly saying 2024 when it's about to be 2025? I DO!

📈 Stonks

Stonks are meh, far from great, but nowhere near a pre-bankruptcy scare. The flightsim community is divided, and we're experiencing that division like a log on the chopping block, split right down the middle.

👋 Feedback?

If you have Feedback on any of the above updates, please click the button below to drop your thoughts in our #dispatch-feedback channel at the official //42 Discord. Think of it like a suggestion box.

📨 Dispatch Feedback

//e

DISPATCH: December 31, 2024, HAPPY NEW YEAR!