When VerticalSim shelved its Fort Lauderdale project in 2025, the developer pointed to a few problems. The studio explained that the airport’s complexity, the lack of detailed reference material, and changing market expectations made the project no longer viable at the quality level it wanted. Keep that in mind, because Orlando looks like it’s heading in the opposite direction.
VerticalSim has shared the first numbered development update for Orlando International Airport (KMCO) on its Discord, five months after announcing the project back in May. And there’s a big team on the ground helping that happen. The developer says its onsite reference team has grown to 10 members, and several of them work at the airport. Their photos and firsthand knowledge are feeding into details across the field.
There’s a catch, though. VerticalSim says full-time development on MCO will only resume after the release of John Wayne Airport (KSNA). Until then, Orlando keeps moving at a steadier, part-time pace.
According to the update, the current focus is on the ground work. VerticalSim says it is chasing a genuine Florida feel through weathered concrete, worn asphalt and the small details that give MCO’s airfield its character.
The GA and cargo ramps are also taking shape, which is good news if you like flying freighters or bizjets into Orlando and not just the big passenger jets. The new screenshots show plenty of that working side of the airport: baggage carts in American, United and Delta colors, a JetBlue hangar, the orange-banded control tower.
VerticalSim is also creating new Ground Support Equipment from scratch specifically for MCO. Alongside that, the team is building new centerline lights, amber hold-short light bars and elevated runway guard lights, each one made individually to match its real-world counterpart and FAA specifications.
VerticalSim confirms that the release will include Terminal C’s southern expansion and the new Heliport Demonstration Pad.
John Wayne Airport is the other big project on VerticalSim’s desk. When the developer announced KSNA in April, it described it as one of three airport projects in development. The MCO update doesn’t give a release date for SNA, so we can’t yet tell when Orlando will get the team’s full attention again.