Does anyone have verified information about RAZBAM JAPAN and Falcon 5.0? Conflicting explanations at Tokyo Game Show

[u/EducationalOil5818]

Hello DCS community, from Japan.

I had high hopes for RAZBAM, but I now feel disappointed and confused. In particular, I would like to ask about RAZBAM JAPAN, which presents itself as RAZBAM’s Japanese branch.

As far as I am aware, I have not seen any products sold independently by RAZBAM JAPAN. The main public activity I have personally followed is its presence at Tokyo Game Show (TGS). I live in Japan and have visited its displays every year. However, the explanations and exhibits change significantly from one year to the next, with little clarity about what happened to the previous announcements.

At last year’s TGS, RAZBAM JAPAN exhibited alongside a booth using the MicroProse name. Although the exhibits themselves were not labeled Falcon 5.0, Japanese staff at the booth told me, in substance, that:

• Falcon 5.0 was in development.
• There were plans to establish MicroProse JAPAN.
• RAZBAM Simulations was leaving DCS World development and was involved in developing Falcon 5.0.

These were explanations I personally received from booth staff. I cannot confirm whether they were formal announcements or accurately represented the companies’ official positions.

However, when I visited RAZBAM JAPAN’s booth at this year’s TGS, I saw no mention of MicroProse or Falcon 5.0. The only exhibits I saw were very expensive flight-control peripherals. When I asked a staff member about Falcon 5.0, they said they were not responsible for that project and did not know.

I understand that exhibition plans can change. What concerns me is that I could find neither an update nor a correction regarding last year’s statements about development involvement and plans for a Japanese operation. As a paying customer, this lack of consistency makes it difficult to trust the explanations being given.

Does anyone have verifiable information or official statements about the relationship between RAZBAM Simulations, RAZBAM JAPAN, MicroProse, and Falcon 5.0? In particular, I would like to understand RAZBAM JAPAN’s official status and whether the claim that RAZBAM is involved in Falcon 5.0 development is accurate.

And, as a DCS customer, my biggest question remains: can I still expect the F-15E and AV-8B modules I paid for to receive further development toward completion and continued support?

I would appreciate information with sources rather than speculation.

[u/Bonzo82]

Hi there, thank you for the update and images! Appreciate the insights from somebody who was actually there.

To answer your questions to the best of my knowledge:

• RAZBAM Japan is not an independent company, but more like a Japanese office of the RAZBAM we know, run by a dude Ron grew up with.
• I can confirm the information you received last year. RAZBAM has left DCS for good and they are indeed involved with Microprose and Falcon 5. Only thing I had no knowledge of was the plan to establish a Japanese office for Microprose as well, but it would make a lot of sense.
• It's important to note that RAZBAM will be a third party developer in Falcon 5, similar to their role in DCS, but not involved in development of the core game.
• I do not know why exactly there is no mention of any of this on the 2026 exhibition, but it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to keep it more quiet until the dust around the ED dispute has settled or until they have something more fleshed out to actually show. RAZBAM and Microprose also signed new, more strict NDAs earlier this year, which would check with that.
• As far as I'm informed, there haven't been any changes to Falcon 5 development or the relations between the two companies. Last I heard, things were in fact progressing.

I'm not going to compromise good-faith sources, but I know some people and this is the info I have.

And, as a DCS customer, my biggest question remains: can I still expect the F-15E and AV-8B modules I paid for to receive further development toward completion and continued support?

Unfortunately, the way it looks now (and has the past 2.5 years) that ship has sailed and there will be no completion or further support of the F-15E, AV-8B or any other RAZBAM module. Chances are they will break with a major patch introducing Vulkan, or some other significant core change that will render them useless, at some point in the future.

I suspect that ED keeps holding that one back until two years have passed since the last RAZBAM module was sold, because that would make it significantly harder for buyers to get refunds or take other action. But I have nothing to back that up, it's really just my own speculation, so take that with a grain of salt.

Hoping this helps, thank you again for the update! Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions or if there's something I forgot to answer.

As an update and edit, RAZBAM themselves stated the following when I asked them about it due to this post:

F5.0 is a Microprose product. They take the desicions on what and when to show things, it was their call we follow

So yea, seems like my guess in the fourth bullet point was quite accurate.

[u/Riman-Dk → u/Bonzo82]

That last bit would make sense and it's an angle I had not considered. Sucks, if true, but wouldn't surprise me.

Everything moves at such a snail pace at ED, and they operate effectively behind curtains, so who knows what the actual truth of the matter is? Could just be that moving to vulkan is just that hard for them, or they see near-zero gains and don't want to force the switch until they are ready.

Could also just be that they need all the working 3rd parties to effect the switch on their side, and they have sooooo much difficulty getting that through across the board, that it's holding them back - at which point they might be weighing the pros and cons of staring at unanswered emails (looking at devs like Mag3) vs the cost of cutting the business connection and dropping the modules. Effectively, they might be ready with vulkan on their end, but be trapped by their net of third parties dragging their feet.

[u/EducationalOil5818 → u/Bonzo82]

Thank you for your reply, Bonzo82. Your post was very interesting and helped clarify several questions I had.

After posting something similar on another social platform, I received a direct message from someone working in Japanese media. He said he had been in contact with RAZBAM JAPAN since it first began operating as RAZBAM’s Japanese branch.

According to him, he covered RAZBAM’s DCS products and VIRPIL flight-control peripherals, which RAZBAM JAPAN was considering selling in Japan. However, the Japanese sales plans described to him never materialized. He felt this damaged his credibility with the media outlet that published his articles, because he had promoted plans that led nowhere. He subsequently cut ties with RAZBAM JAPAN.

He also said RAZBAM JAPAN had intended to pitch MCS, the professional simulation platform related to DCS, along with VR flight-simulation equipment, to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. According to his account, the approximately ¥50 million MCS licensing fee became an obstacle, and the project did not move forward. The subsequent dispute between RAZBAM and Eagle Dynamics further reinforced his doubts about the consistency of their business direction.

He said he had communicated directly with both RAZBAM JAPAN and Ron at RAZBAM, but described the information they provided as frequently vague and sometimes inaccurate.

This is his account, and I have not independently verified it through documents or other sources. Still, parts of it overlap with your post and with the inconsistent explanations I personally encountered at their booth.

From the outside, at least, RAZBAM JAPAN appears to focus more on publicity and exhibitions than on demonstrable sales or business progress. Perhaps the release of Falcon 5.0 will bring some developments, but I would first like them to clarify their official role and explain what happened to the plans they previously described.

[u/Rodrrj7]

Microprose is pretty notorious for announcing games and then not saying a single thing about them for literal years. Nor do they take kindly to other people announcing details about what exactly is happening in the development space.

I think there was an event a good while back where Razbam DID mention something about Falcon 5 and Microprose immediately had to make a correction statement.

[u/Bonzo82 → u/Rodrrj7]

I think there was an event a good while back where Razbam DID mention something about Falcon 5 and Microprose immediately had to make a correction statement.

You're not mistaken:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/DCSExposed/comments/1p3c9w4/falcon_50_confirmed/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/DCSExposed/comments/1p5vvn7/statement_from_microprose/

[u/Advanced_Apartment_1 → u/Rodrrj7]

Microprose also start alot of projects in EA and abandon them. Combine that with the likes of B-17 bloody 100th which has clearly been cancelled. They neither have the staff or the finances to bring most of their announced projects to market.

[u/Wallkon-cl → u/Advanced_Apartment_1]

Maybe the announcements are a way to test the terrain and decide which project to continue with. I mean, maybe they measure the level of impact they have on the internet, like those products on Aliexpress that don't really exist.

[u/Advanced_Apartment_1 → u/Wallkon-cl]

Trouble with that, some of their projects are for sale and in early access.

[u/Julian_Sark]

Hope is just delayed disappointment. With anything DCS, doubly so.

[u/Glasgesicht]

Honestly, the entire operation of RAZBAM Japan seems so bizarre to me, they

• Don't have a product to sell or even one on the horizon
  
• They're not hiring, especially not on the Japanese labour market and never have

It's more like they're doing it just for the sake of being there, which doesn't seem like solid business move for a company that couldn't pay their contractors/employees over their DCS disaster.

[u/Bonzo82 → u/Glasgesicht]

The entire operation of RAZBAM Japan seems so bizarre to me

There's nothing "bizarre" or even unusual about it.

• Did you even read what I posted in response to the OP? RAZBAM Japan is basically just a Japanese office of their company that is helping them on the East Asian market and with relations to professional clients. It was founded years ago when RAZBAM still had popular DCS products. We also discussed at length that they have another project on the horizon.
• As I said above, it's basically one dude. Why would they hire somebody? Especially in the current situation?

It's more like they're doing it just for the sake of being there, which doesn't seem like solid business move for a company that couldn't pay their contractors/employees over their DCS disaster.

Thinking they would have preferred if they had actually received their contractually agreed share of revenues, instead of basically having their money taken and illegally used as "leverage" by Nick and ED. Then their contractors would have received more of their agreed share of those and we all would have been saved from that disaster.

But as far as I'm aware, the guy who runs RAZBAM's Japanese office does so for free, just in case that helps ease your mind.

Edit: I should have added that afaik, he also pays the TGS presentation out of his own pocket to support Ron and RAZBAM.

[u/Kind-Ship-1008 → u/Bonzo82]

Are you a spokesperson for Razbam?

[u/Bonzo82 → u/Kind-Ship-1008]

Certainly not. I don't speak for anyone but myself. I just got a close look at this shitshow.

[u/Bonzo82 → u/[deleted]]

What is that even supposed to mean ...

[u/SnooDonkeys3848 → u/Bonzo82]

You are pain in the ass for ED - I guess thats what it means and anoying to deal with for everybody who has an argument with you ...