When it comes to construction and management simulation games, the Rollercoaster Tycoon games might just be the pièce de resistance: the greatest games of a genre. In recent years though, the series has tried to venture away from what it knows, which has come back to bite it slightly. But the franchise could well be on the rise again as the news hits us that Atari has renewed the Rollercoaster Tycoon license for another 10 years.
There were rumors that the series could be at an end, and it was due to the license supposedly running out in the summer. But after a delay in proceedings, Atari has renewed and it could breathe fresh air into the stagnated series. According to Atari, this renewal will encapsulate new games, as well as “brand and merchandising collaborations.” That could mean anything but imagine a Rollercoaster Tycoon theme park where people create the rides themselves – I can’t see myself riding any of them though.
The news was revealed in an Atari press release which explained that the Rollercoaster Tycoon license was agreed upon in conjunction with original franchise creator Chris Swayer. The details of this agreement suggest that Atari is looking to develop new Rollercoaster Tycoon games, as well as possibly expand the distribution for the franchise and introduce these new collaborations mentioned earlier.
With the deal only being completed today, it does mean we don’t have any details regarding what direction these new games will go down, but hopefully, it doesn’t follow some recent titles in the series like Joyride – games that slightly deterred away from the successful formula – which was not exactly met with much praise, in fact, it was panned across the board. The status of the Rollercoaster Tycoon name is not as secure as it once was, and with successful games now rivaling it like Planet Coaster and other tycoon games, it really could do with a healthy return to the top spot.
The most recent game in the series was the mobile game, Rollercoaster Tycoon Puzzle. Even though it carries the name of the franchise, it was more like a classic match-3 puzzler, with management mechanics so light that the whole thing could have blown away. But these games are technically spin-offs, but the main series hasn’t seen a release since Rollercoaster Tycoon World back in 2016, which wasn’t too good either.
When Atari says that new games are on the horizon, it could literally mean anything; more puzzle games for mobile, or possibly a huge new main attraction for the main series which could rival some of the great management simulation games of today. There is a lot of scopes for Atari to work with, but the studio is going to have to do something great if it is to match the lofty heights that were set by the 1999 game, the original title that still sits on top of the Rollercoaster Tycoon mountain.
