Following the news about the 5,000 layoffs that should take place over the next 18 months, Microsoft announced it decision to close the ACES Studios, known as the developer of the Flight Simulator game series. The company has quite a history with this product, being its first one ever released and dating from 1982.

Even though the decision is final, the company’s officials said that they will remain committed to the Flight Simulator franchise, without saying anything else.

"You should expect us to continue to invest in enabling great Live experiences on Windows, including flying games, but we have nothing specific to announce at this time," stated one of the company’s spokesmen.

The latest version in the series is called Flight Simulator X. It provides top quality graphics and many aircraft models to choose from. The FSX was designed to allow online collaboration between users who set themselves up as virtual pilots or air traffic controllers. It also includes users who have organized entire virtual airlines flying virtual passengers around in cyberspace.

According to several reports that surfaced online, the company’s move marks the cut of the first 1,400 jobs, as many of the personnel from ACES, including the game testers, were let go. The economic crisis managed to hit everyone one way or another, causing a worldwide state of uncertainty and panic. It is believed that things could get back to some sort of normality over the next 2 years, but considering the fact that nothing is certain, the general fear remains present.