Raymond Krehn

Dev Studio Tycoon is simulation game where you focus on running a game development studio, rather than an entire empire. Begin as an indie developer and take charge of your studio keeping it as an independent studio, or making it a AAA studio!

Features

• Project manage and set timelines through development stages like Pre-production, Prototype, Design, Testing, etc.
• Generated company names, games, engines, consoles, employees, and more. You'll never play the same game twice!
• Hundreds of combinations of genres and themes to choose from
• Use game engines to create games, or develop your own engine!
• Sell games, engines, and consoles or take a bite at contracts!
• Sign agreements with publishers or publish your own games
• On that note, take advantage of Easy Access and Kickstarter in later years!
• Employees will make attempts to improve the game, but beware, it might hurt development time or the project!
• Hire/Fire employees like artists, designers, writers, etc.
• Each employee has various statistics including art skills, technical skills, happiness, and speed skills
• Employees gain experience over time, but they all have different potential ceilings
• Increase employee pay, enforce overtime, and more. Be the boss!
• Employees will get stressed out if they work too much or deadlines are too difficult.
• Sales tracking - All games, all companies, and all consoles will have sales and earnings tracked
• Scenario-based events for challenges - the game will get gradually more difficult depending on your circumstances
• Expos to display games (E3 anyone?)
• Magazine Reviews - Expect magazines and websites to review your games and rate them. These could help or hurt sales.
• Market your games through radio, television, and magazine ads.
• Trends - RPGs may be popular one year, but action games the next. Themes (zombies or football) will also have trends.
• Each company has a different philosophy as there are six different AI's
• Expect competing companies to have bankruptcies, mergers, sabotages, and acquisitions!
• No end game or year, but there are constant challenges.
• Moddability :)

The Story

I've enjoyed several games over the years like GameBiz 2/3, Game Dev Story, and Game Dev Tycoon. Of course, I've tried probably at least ten others, but only these two really stood out. Despite enjoying them there were a few issues:

• GameBiz was overly complex and more of a data/numbers simulation than a game (not a bad thing)
• Game Dev Tycoon was the opposite and heavily focused on a graphic interface, but it had amazing ideas implemented
• Competition had little to no impact in both
• Too many random variables involved, which made you (the player) feel like you relied on either luck, or a wiki
• Employees didn't have as large as an effect on the outcome of a game in Game Dev Tycoon
• Game development time was not based on project scope, which is a huge factor in development
• The linearity projection to become a AAA made you feel that it was the only goal
• And more...

As a result, I created Dev Studio Tycoon.

This game is Open Source.

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