PMDG Readies NGX SP1b, and More

Robert Randazzo of PMDG recently posted that they are readying the SP1b update to their 737 NGX series.  This will be a free update that fixes some issues that they did not have a chance to address in SP1.  They are continuing efforts to work on the -ER series, the BBJ series, and the military series as well, but they have not yet revealed a timetable as to when these will be available.

Robert says the PMDG team is fully underway on 777 development at the moment as well.  He hopes to update soon regarding release timetables (unclear as to whether he is talking about the NGX expansions, the 777, or something else here) as well as some "announcements on new product offerings."  Oooooooh, the last part is really intriguing for me - can't wait for PMDG to open their kimono a little more and let us know what else they're cooking up!

Elsewhere, there seems to have been a bit of a rift developing between PMDG and McPhat Studios regarding the release of repaints for the NGX.  The exact nature of the rift is unclear, but the gist of it seems to be that McPhat claims PMDG did not provide them with all the legal clearance they needed to release repaints for the NGX, while PMDG claims they bent over backwards to work with McPhat, and are displeased by McPhat's lack of professionalism.

You can read the comments by Robert Randazzo of PMDG regarding McPhat here.

You can read the response to these comments by Terrence Klaverweide of McPhat here.

Best as I can tell, this is one of those things that should have been fairly routine, but seems to have escalated into a pissing match on both sides.  I hope cooler heads can prevail.  I like McPhat, and think they do some great artistry on airplane repaints.  Hopefully a little diplomacy goes a long way here - I think the flight sim world needs both PMDG and McPhat.