Co-op Airline Sim 'Dear Passengers' Becomes Steam's 12th Most Wishlisted Game in a Week

The newly announced co-op game "Dear Passengers," where players manage "the world's worst airline," has quickly become the 12th most wishlisted title on Steam. This rapid ascent occurred within a week of the game's announcement, with over 1.5 million wishlists accumulated.

Players and their friends form the crew tasked with delivering passengers and cargo, ideally intact. The gameplay involves one player piloting while others manage the cabin, attend to passengers, and handle in-flight emergencies. Developer Flexus highlights potential disasters such as turbulence, adverse weather, bird strikes, and dangerous cargo, alongside the inherent chaos introduced by player actions, like opening doors at altitude.

However, the game's launch has encountered turbulence. Backlash arose from "edgelord humor" in the trailer, featuring character names like "Epst.J" and "PDaddy," and a passenger resembling Donald Trump, who is depicted being ejected from the plane. Flexus Games issued a statement on Discord asserting that all characters are fictional and any resemblance to real people is coincidental, while also condemning the actions of Jeffrey Epstein. The studio reiterated this stance, stating they "strongly condemn the actions of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as any crimes and individuals involved in breaking the law."

Further controversy stemmed from a job advertisement seeking a "2D Artist skilled in bringing game ideas to life and adept at using generative AI for concept creation." This led to speculation that "Dear Passengers" might utilize AI-generated assets, especially as no AI disclosure was present on the game's Steam page. Flexus addressed this directly on Steam, clarifying that "No AI was used in the creation of Dear Passengers." The company explained that the job posting was outdated and related to marketing assets for mobile projects, not "Dear Passengers," which was created entirely without generative AI. The job advertisement has since been revised to remove references to AI.

"Dear Passengers" is slated for release in 2026.