Game Dev Tycoon
| Game Dev Tycoon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Greenheart Games |
| Publisher(s) | Greenheart Games Valve Corporation (Steam) Headup Games (Box, Germany) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Windows RT, Mac OS X, Linux |
| Release date(s) | December 10, 2012 August 29, 2013 (Steam)[1] |
| Genre(s) | Business simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Distribution | Downloadable |
Game Dev Tycoon is a business simulation video game that was released on December 10, 2012.[2] In the game, the player creates and publishes video games. Game Dev Tycoon was inspired by the iOS and Android game, Game Dev Story[3] (by Kairosoft), and many critics find substantial similarities between the two games.[4] Game Dev Tycoon was created by Greenheart Games, a company founded in July 2012 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Klug.
Anti-piracy release
The game's developers implemented a unique anti-piracy measure for Game Dev Tycoon. Patrick Klug, founder of Greenheart Games, knowing that the game was likely to be torrented extensively, purposely released a cracked version of the game and uploaded it himself to torrent sites. Gameplay in this version is identical except for one variation, as players progress through the game they receive the following message:
Boss, it seems that while many players play our new game, they steal it by downloading a cracked version rather than buying it legally. If players don’t buy the games they like, we will sooner or later go bankrupt.—Greenheart Games, Game Dev Tycoon
Eventually players of the cracked version will gradually lose money until they do go bankrupt, as a result of pirates.[5]
Progression
The player starts out in a garage in the early 1980s during the Golden age of arcade video games with no employees, limited money, and limited choices for the first game. As new games are created, new options are unlocked. When the first game engine is built, the player's game development skills improve. New consoles will also be released, and the player will be able to buy licenses for certain consoles, such as the GS, PlaySystem, mBox, and grPad which parody real life consoles and devices with different names due to trademark regulations. As the player progresses through the game further they have the opportunity to move to new offices and hire staff. An important milestone in the campaign sees the player moving into an office after making $1,000,000. After that further expansion is available, with players given the opportunity to open an R&D lab when reaching certain requirements that host major projects, allowing the player to unlock things they wouldn't be able to otherwise, such as MMOs and online game shops similar to Steam, Uplay, App Store etc. The player may also open up a Hardware Lab to create consoles and devices.
Reception
Game Dev Tycoon received varied reviews upon release. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gave the game a score of 69 based on 19 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]
Although the fairly average review by Metacritic, Steam had given it a overall 10/10 by over 11,000 reviewers/players worldwide. [7] [8]
References
- ↑ Game Dev Tycoon arrives on Steam August 29.
- ↑ "Game Dev Tycoon Changelog". Greenheart Games. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ↑ "About Greenheart Games". Greenheart Games. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
- ↑ Wilson, Evan. "Game Dev Tycoon Review". Game Freaks 365. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ↑ April 30th, 2013 at 12:54 pm (2013-04-30). "Australian Game Developer Trolls Internet Pirates". Aussie-gamer.com. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
- ↑ "Game Dev Tycoon". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Game Dev Tycoon". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Game Dev Tycoon, Steam Store". Steam. Retrieved March 9, 2015.