Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 uses Planet Zoo's animal models

Asobo Studio dialed up their friends at Frontier Developments to get better-looking animals in MSFS 2024.

Microsoft
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Among the many improvements that developer Asobo Studio boasts for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is animal species. Not only will the world be filled with more animals, but they’ll look better, too. This isn’t something that the developers accomplished alone, as Asobo Studio received permission to use the animal models and animations from Planet Zoo in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

Jorg Neumann, head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, confirmed the collaboration when speaking to Shacknews at a recent event for MSFS 2024. “Models and animations, yeah,” he replied when asked if it was true that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 features animal models from Planet Zoo. “I have all the Zoo Tycoon models, and then they made some extra stuff with Planet Zoo and I was like, ‘can I get all of that?’”

A Zebra standing in the grass.

Source: Microsoft

Neumann previously worked on Zoo Tycoon, which was published by Microsoft and would serve as the precursor to Planet Zoo. With the companies still having a close relationship, the team at Frontier lent the animal models and animations from their zoo simulator to elevate the authenticity of Flight Sim’s animals.

It’s a neat detail for fans of Microsoft Flight Simulator and Planet Zoo alike. Players will find animals all over the globe as they explore a fully realized world in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and now they know exactly how they came to be.

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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