Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 players seek out virtual recreation of Jeffrey Epstein’s private island
Late sex offender’s Carribean villa was raided by the FBI in 2019
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 players are reportedly flocking to the island infamously owned by late billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The recently released flight simulation game generates a digital recreation of the entire planet, using satellite data connected to Microsoft’s Bing Maps.
The privately owned island – referred to by some as “paedophile island” – in Little St James, US Virgin Islands, was used by Epstein as a location for underaged sex trafficking.
On YouTube and Reddit, players have shared advice on how to locate the island, which involves flying to a specific set of co-ordinates.
Since his arrest and death, Epstein has become the subject of significant media attention and a number of conspiracy theories, which could account for the interest in the island by Flight Simulator players.
The island was raided by the FBI in 2019, in the wake of Epstein’s death while detained in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Centre.
In a tweet that quickly went viral, journalist @slasher shared an image of several planes – each piloted by different online players – in extremely close proximity on the island.
The image was accompanied with the caption: “People are gathering at Epstein’s island in Microsoft Flight Simulator and solving this case ourselves”
While Epstein’s island is present in Flight Simulator, his villa has not been accurately recreated, which calls into question what exactly players hope to gain by visiting the location.
Flight Simulator has earned rave reviews for its graphics and technical achievements, and has been described by many outlets as the first game of the “next generation”.
While most people have been hugely impressed by the game’s ability to simulate the entire globe, a few discrepancies have been widely shared on social media.
These include the representation of Buckingham Palace as a palace-shaped block of office buildings, which provoked glee from British republicans.