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How MicroProse Returned to Making Military Simulation Games

MicroProse returned under David Lagettie, with co-founder John “Wild Bill” Stealey advising. Its revival pursued new simulations alongside legacy stewardship, while Falcon BMS continued as a separate community project.
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MicroProse returned as a game publisher under David Lagettie, with co-founder John “Wild Bill” Stealey advising the revival. The plan was not just to reissue classics: the revived company also sought new simulation games, working with outside developers and aiming to balance realism with approachable play. Falcon BMS, meanwhile, continued as a separate community project under an agreement with MicroProse covering Falcon 4.0 intellectual property.

Who brought MicroProse back?

David Lagettie led MicroProse’s revival, with co-founder John “Wild Bill” Stealey involved in an advisory role. A 2020 GamesBeat interview described the company as reborn under the two men, but with distinct roles: Lagettie was leading the operation, while Stealey advised it.

Lagettie said MicroProse had around 70 people at the time of that interview, including teams in Australia, Europe, and the United States, and worked with external developers. That is a June 2020 staffing snapshot, not a statement of the company’s current size.

What did the revived MicroProse set out to do?

The revival combined stewardship of the MicroProse name and its simulation legacy with plans to publish new games. The 2020 interview discussed classic properties as well as new projects, including games made with outside developers. Those early announcements show the direction of the revival at the time; they do not establish the present release status of every announced title.

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Make simulations easier to enter

Lagettie said the company wanted to pair simulation realism with a quick route into play: “We’ll try and balance the realism of simulations with — we want people to be able to get into these games and start playing pretty quickly.” He described this as an intended design balance, not a promise that every MicroProse game would offer the same modes or level of complexity.

Differentiate through missions and narrative

In the same interview, Lagettie praised DCS’s F-16 simulation while saying MicroProse was pursuing a somewhat different experience, with mission action, wingman relationships, and narrative texture. That was the company’s positioning in 2020—not an independent comparison of current games or a claim about their relative quality.

What happened to Falcon and Falcon BMS?

Falcon BMS is not a commercial MicroProse release. It is a volunteer-developed project by the BenchMarkSims community team, which says an agreement with MicroProse gives it rights to use Falcon 4.0 intellectual property for continued BMS releases. The team describes those rights as essentially perpetual. It also says BMS remains free for non-commercial use and requires a licensed copy of Falcon 4.0.

The team’s project history traces BenchMarkSims to 2003, its public release of BMS 4.32 to 2011, and a BMS 4.38 milestone in 2025. The 4.32 changelog exceeded 1,500 pages, according to the project history. For its 4.38 release testing, the team reported that more than 40 community pilots answered its call.

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Separately, a 2023 report reproducing a MicroProse announcement said the company had reacquired Falcon-series copyrights and listed Falcon, Falcon 4.0, Falcon A.T., Falcon Gold, and the Falcon Collection as available via Steam and/or GOG. That is a dated availability report, not confirmation of current listings in every region. Check the relevant storefront’s current page before relying on a title’s availability or price.

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How to understand MicroProse’s return

The revival is best understood as a publishing effort that drew on a legacy brand while seeking new simulation projects—not simply a program to rerelease old games. Its stated 2020 approach emphasized both simulation depth and accessibility. Falcon BMS shows a different part of the legacy: a community team continuing a long-running project under an IP agreement, rather than a game developed and sold by MicroProse.

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These distinctions matter when evaluating a title associated with the name. A MicroProse announcement, a commercial release, and a community project using Falcon 4.0 IP are not interchangeable, and the 2020 interview does not establish the current catalog or current feature set of any particular game.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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