Mad Catz announces multiplayer flight sim Combat Pilot

Peripherals manufacturer Mad Catz will continue its expansion into games publishing with the release of flight sim Combat Pilot.

The aerial military experience has been developed by Mad Catz's internal studio ThunderHawk and will launch on PC this summer.

Combat Pilot has been built using the Microsoft Fight Simulator 10 engine. As such, you'll need the 2006 aerial simulation to play.

"The planes, airports and missions found in Flight Simulator 10 are completely separate from Combat Pilot," Mad Catz explained. "Combat Pilot is focused on combat aviation and utilizes its own aircraft, bases and missions."

An advert on the Combat Pilot website lists the game for sale at $49.99 (about £32), which includes an initial month of play time.

"We believe that Combat Pilot will prove to be an important destination for the flight simulation community to gather, interact, and share experiences," said Mad Catz exec Darren Richardson. "Mad Catz's Saitek brand and flight simulation is an important part of our company's culture and Combat Pilot will allow the flight simulation community to come together and interact as never before."

Combat Pilot is not the only flight sim on the way from Mad Catz. The company last week announced Damage Inc. Pacific Squadron WW2, a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title from Aussie outfit Trickstar Games, the studio behind Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters.