MicroProse’s B-17 Blitz: Devlogs, VR, Tabletop, and an MSFS Add-On—What Actually Matters

MicroProse Is Building a B-17 Ecosystem-And That’s Actually Interesting

MicroProse dropped a multi-front update on September 10 that basically says: the Flying Fortress is back, everywhere. We got a first devlog for B-17 Flying Fortress: The Bloody 100th, another devlog and teaser for The Mighty Eighth VR, a cooperative tabletop adaptation headed for Kickstarter notifications, and a new video of a B-17G add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 & 2024. As someone who grew up on MicroProse sims and still boots up The Mighty 8th for nostalgia, this caught my attention because it’s not just one game-it’s a coordinated push to own the B-17 experience across PC, VR, tabletop, and sim.

Key Takeaways

• The Bloody 100th focuses on a living crew system and interactive damage-more sim grit than arcade vibes.
• The Mighty Eighth VR teaser nails atmosphere, but long-haul comfort, controls, and crew interaction will make or break it.
• A co-op board game is smart: think “U-BOOT” energy with a B-17 twist, but Kickstarter means timelines can drift.
• The MSFS B-17G looks gorgeous, but remember: MSFS isn’t a combat sim—expect procedure and immersion over dogfights.

Breaking Down the Announcement

The Bloody 100th’s first devlog lays out the pitch: a “living crew” that grows and struggles across missions; an interactive damage model that treats the Fortress like an eleventh crewmember; and “Critical Events” intended to capture the chaos of WWII bomber runs. That last point is key. The 2000 classic B-17: The Mighty 8th had you sprinting between compartments mid-raid, plugging fuel leaks and coaxing engines back to life. If MicroProse pulls off dynamic damage that cascades—oxygen lines gone, electrical failures forcing manual bombsight work, wounded crew needing repositioning—it could rekindle that desperate, improvisational magic. Think Bomber Crew’s stress and triage, but with sim-level fidelity instead of cartoon charm.

The Mighty Eighth VR devlog and teaser lean into immersion: moonlit airstrips, mission briefings, eight crew roles, and a taste of combat chaos. VR inside a B-17 is a dream scenario—hearing the engines thrum while you crab-walk through the bomb bay at altitude is the exact kind of embodied panic VR does best. But here’s the hard part: comfort and interaction design. Will it be fully hand-tracked with believable levers and turret swings? Are we seated by default with snap/smooth locomotion options? Can we switch stations quickly without nausea? And the big question: solo with AI crew or true multiplayer? If they offer both, and the AI is reliable enough not to feel like babysitting, this could be something special.

On the tabletop side, B-17 Flying Fortress: The Bloody 100th Board Game Edition is pitched as cooperative crew roles—pilot, navigator, bombardier, gunners—against flak, fighters, and system failures. That puts it in conversation with games like U-BOOT (app-assisted, real-time crew coordination) and the old-school solo classic B-17: Queen of the Skies (procedural mission drama). The sweet spot here is campaign persistence: scars that carry over, veterans who get rattled after bad missions, and meaningful resource decisions between sorties. It’s Kickstarter-bound soon for notifications, which usually means: expect strong theme and big art reveals first, then delivery dates later. I’ll be watching for whether it needs an app (to offload bookkeeping) and how it balances realism with playtime; two-hour missions with constant table-checks can kill momentum.

Finally, the B-17G for Microsoft Flight Simulator is being developed with input from the 100th Bomb Group Foundation, and visually it’s already projecting that heavy-metal presence. Here’s the reality check though: MSFS isn’t a combat simulator. Don’t expect working turrets or proper intercepts. What you can expect, if it’s done right: detailed engine management, weight-and-balance that you can feel on long climbs, historically grounded cockpits, and the unmatched joy of cruising over photoreal terrain in a 30-ton icon. The fact it targets both MSFS 2020 and 2024 is good news for longevity, but I want to know how deep the systems go: cowl flap thermals, carb icing, realistic fuel feed quirks—these are where a warbird add-on earns its price tag.

Why This Push Matters Now

MicroProse’s best work always mixed technical fidelity with stories you made yourself—Falcon’s radio chatter, Silent Service’s tense escapes, and of course The Mighty 8th’s compartment scrambles. The current MicroProse label’s comeback has leaned into serious mil-sim publishing, and this B-17 blitz feels like a bet on transmedia done right: each format amplifies the others. A VR teaser gets you invested in the crew, the board game turns that anxiety into table talk, the MSFS add-on scratches the procedural nerd itch, and the PC sim promises the full-fat experience.

The risk? Focus. Four parallel projects can cannibalize attention, and WWII flight fans are a demanding niche that will call out soft systems fast. The devlogs are a good sign of transparency, but we still don’t have hard release dates. If MicroProse staggers launches and keeps feature parity clear—what’s in VR vs. PC sim vs. tabletop—they could avoid confusion and keep hype sustainable.

What Gamers Should Watch For

• Depth of the crew system in The Bloody 100th: morale, injuries, skill growth, and how much you actually feel their stories between missions.
• VR comfort and multiplayer options: station switching, hand interactions, seated play, and whether you can run a full crew with friends.
• Board game campaign structure: persistent damage, mission variety, and whether an app streamlines chores or adds friction.
• MSFS systems modeling: engine and electrical fidelity, wear and tear, checklists, and performance on mid-range rigs.
• Pricing and editions: avoid a maze of deluxe/Founder’s/collector tiers that split the community.

TL;DR

MicroProse isn’t just reviving the B-17; it’s trying to build an ecosystem around it. The ideas are strong across PC, VR, tabletop, and MSFS—the execution will hinge on depth, comfort, and clarity. If they hit those, the Flying Fortress could rule the skies again.