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Hogwarts and Godzilla are now in Flight Sim, thanks to the power of mods

Wingardium Lufthansa.

Emma Kent avatar
News by Emma Kent Contributor
Updated on
16 comments

According to Harry Potter lore, Hogwarts isn't normally viewable to muggles: due to a powerful enchantment, non-magic onlookers believe it's merely a dilapidated ruin with danger signs warning them away. So it's just as well someone's made it in the PC version of Microsoft Flight Simulator for us all to look at.

Oh, and someone's also put Godzilla into the game - but you probably don't want to get too close to that one.

As uploaded by iG0dz on Nexus Mods, Hogwarts castle and surrounding areas are essentially a piece of movie scenery that you can fly around and examine from the air. The grounds also boast a Quidditch Stadium, Hagrid's House, and Privet Drive (which is inexplicably located in the forbidden forest, but I suppose stranger things have happened in Harry Potter).

"I have always dreamed of being able to go to the sets of fantasy movies in cinemas," iG0dz said in the mod description. "This place is like an attraction, or a studio place where people can visit."

At the moment the castle is on the water, which isn't technically as it appears in the films, but the mod creator has promised to update this and move the castle onto a hill.

I think a broomstick mod is now in order: you could even have different models, like the Nimbus 2000 or the Firebolt.

Meanwhile, if all this sounds too peaceful for you, then you can always summon Godzilla to San Francisco. Made by Sergio "muyprofessional" Perea, the mod does exactly what it says on the tin, and plonks Godzilla in the water for you to fly around. If you're wondering why Godzilla isn't in Tokyo, unfortunately that's because the city hasn't been given a 3D photogrammetry upgrade, so a lot of the towers and landmarks are missing there.

"If anyone likes it, I will do King Kong up the Empire State," the creator said. I guess we can anticipate that mod soon.

That murky-coloured sky actually looks quite like San Francisco in the real world, which is currently dealing with forest fires. Clearly this is a preview of the rest of 2020.

Plenty of mods have already appeared to improve real-life locations, such as Switzerland's Matterhorn mountain and even Stonehenge, but I really love the idea of modders importing fantasy locations and scenery for us to explore. Given Microsoft Flight Sim has already inadvertently created an Eye of Sauron tower, can someone make a version of Mordor for us to fly over next? Preferably by eagle.

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