Hello Captains, and welcome back!
Last week, a surprising development had the flight sim community buzzing—PMDG briefly published a product page on their website for the Boeing 737 MAX8. Naturally, this sparked speculation that a release might be imminent, with some even hoping for previews at the upcoming FlightSim Expo this weekend. But just as quickly as it appeared, the page vanished. Some now believe it was an unintentional slip on PMDG’s part.
Like many of you, I was initially thrilled—only to feel a twinge of buyer’s remorse, having recently picked up the iFly 737 MAX8. And now, it seems we’re back in familiar territory: no firm timeline, and no confirmation on if—or when—PMDG plans to release their own MAX8. Robert Randazzo, CEO of PMDG, addressed the situation via video and a written statement, confirming that the listing was posted by mistake and PMDG will not be discussing the MAX8 at FSExpo.
That said, Robert did share some encouraging news about other PMDG projects. The Boeing 777 lineup is nearly complete, and once it’s wrapped up, development attention will shift to the 737NG for MSFS 2024. This version will reportedly require more extensive work than originally anticipated, and while we can expect a modest upgrade fee for those who already own the NG in MSFS 2020, there was no mention of a release timeline. Still, new features and an upgraded sound set are on the horizon for both the 777 and 737 families—a welcome upgrade, to be sure.
Robert also touched on the future of the Boeing 777X, expressing PMDG’s interest in eventually bringing this aircraft to the platform. However, since it hasn’t been certified or flown commercially yet, we shouldn’t expect a sim version until well after its real-world debut.
Circling back to the MAX8: while the recent tease may have been premature, I truly believe we’ll see PMDG’s take on this bird eventually. It may not be this year, but when it does arrive, I have no doubt it will be worth the wait.
Until next time, Captains…
Happy Flying!
—Jerry