Hot off the press we have an announcement from none other than Chris Roberts. At his new studio, the famed flight sim director has revealed a return to the genre he helped pioneer, announcing Squadron 42. Official website here.

Our younger readers might not know the name, but Roberts has quite a history in the industry. Perhaps best know for directing the Wing Commander series, the man is known for his love of space themed flight sims. Yep, blasting through the cosmos in all manner of futuristic craft, living out your Battlestar Galactica fantasies. He later went on to work on the earliest builds of the very popular Freelancer, eventually consulting on the project as the position of director was passed on to Jörg Neumann.

Well, Chris is back, with Squadron 42. And he’s calling it a spiritual successor to both the Wing Commander and Freelancer franchises. For the space flight sim fans out there, this is kind of a big deal.

Sadly, not a whole lot else is known about the project. Other than that it will still be in development for ~24 months, that it might use a free-to-play build of sorts, and that it is currently targeting PC exclusivity. Oh, and the debut trailer, available here at GameTrailers, shows incredible in-engine graphics.

Check it out. We’ll have more as it becomes available.