Atari has announced that it is holding the rights to the RollerCoaster Tycoon series for another 10 years, extending the license with franchise creator Chris Sawyer. Atari will “seek to develop new titles, expand digital and physical distribution, and explore brand and merchandising collaborations.” This indicates that the company has plans to develop more RollerCoaster Tycoon games in the coming years.
The last entry in the franchise, RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic, released in 2017 to divisive reviews. The series has since been sidelined by other, more successful park-building games including Planet Coaster, which acted as a spiritual successor to the series.
Atari is now seemingly pushing forward with a plethora of RollerCoaster Tycoon-related plans from new video games to “brand and merchandising collaborations” and much more. Most fans fondly remember the series as one of the most iconic theme park-building titles in gaming history, though it hasn’t aged particularly well over the years and has since faded from memory as other similar games took the spotlight.
In fact, an upcoming 2023 game called Park Beyond aims to take park-building to the next level by not so subtly removing the realism restraints and just letting players’ imaginations go wild. It will be a tall order for RollerCoaster Tycoon to recapture its nostalgic player base now that new players are enjoying other potentially exciting park simulators, but Atari’s plans could just be enough to rejuvenate interest in the series.
You can pick up the original RollerCoaster Tycoon right now on Steam via RollerCoaster Tycoon Deluxe, giving players access to the original 1999 base game and expansion packs. The description reads:
“One of the best games from acclaimed Tycoon series, with well designed gameplay mechanics, appealing graphics, and really high re-playability value. There’s no limit to what you can create so design and build the most thrilling roller coaster the world has ever seen – and buckle up for the ride of your life!”
Source: Eurogamer
