''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' is a series of
simulation video game
Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...
s about building and managing an
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
. Each game in the series challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development, and allowing players to construct and customize their own unique
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
s and other
thrill rides.
The
first game was created by Scottish
programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
Chris Sawyer
Christopher Sawyer is a Scottish video game designer and programmer. He is best known for creating ''Transport Tycoon'', which has been considered "one of the most important simulation games ever made", and the bestseller '' RollerCoaster Tyc ...
, with assistance from various leading figures from the real-world roller coaster and theme park industry. The rest of the series contains three other main games,
expansion packs, a number of ports, and a mobile installment. A refresh of the series, ''
RollerCoaster Tycoon World'', was released in November 2016, and followed up by ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures'' for Switch in 2018 and PC in 2019.
Licensing for the series is currently held by
Atari SA
Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA) is a French video game holding company headquartered in Paris. Its subsidiaries include Atari Interactive and Atari, Inc. It is the current owner of the Atari brand through Atari Interactive. Be ...
, who renewed their deal with Chris Sawyer on October 11, 2022 for ten more years.
Main series
''RollerCoaster Tycoon''
''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' was released for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
on 22 March 1999. ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' was later ported to the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
game console
A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to a t ...
in 2003. The game was developed by
Chris Sawyer
Christopher Sawyer is a Scottish video game designer and programmer. He is best known for creating ''Transport Tycoon'', which has been considered "one of the most important simulation games ever made", and the bestseller '' RollerCoaster Tyc ...
and published by
Hasbro Interactive
Hasbro Interactive was an American video game developer, video game production and video game publisher, publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the large game and toy company. Several of its studios were closed in early 2001 and most of its properties ...
under the
MicroProse
MicroProse is an American video game publisher and video game developer, developer founded by Bill Stealey, Sid Meier, and Andy Hollis in 1982. It developed and published numerous games, including starting the ''Civilization (series), Civilizatio ...
brand.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' received two expansion packs: ''Added Attractions'' (released in North America as ''Corkscrew Follies'') in 1999, and ''Loopy Landscapes'' in 2000. Two special editions were released: ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Gold''/''Totally RollerCoaster'' in 2002, which contained the original game, ''Corkscrew Follies'', and ''Loopy Landscapes''; and ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Deluxe'' in 2003, which contained the content in ''Gold'' plus more designs for the different customizable rides.
A port for the Xbox was released on 23 March 2003, handled by
Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier is known for developing amusement park Construction and management simulation ...
and published by
Infogrames Interactive
Atari Interactive is a name used by several separate groups and corporations since the mid-1990s. In 1996, it was the name of Atari Corporation's PC publishing division, bringing games like the Atari Jaguar's ''Tempest 2000'' to the PC platfor ...
. This version featured both expansion packs as well.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2''
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'' was released on October 15th 2002. The game was developed by
Chris Sawyer
Christopher Sawyer is a Scottish video game designer and programmer. He is best known for creating ''Transport Tycoon'', which has been considered "one of the most important simulation games ever made", and the bestseller '' RollerCoaster Tyc ...
and published by
Infogrames Interactive
Atari Interactive is a name used by several separate groups and corporations since the mid-1990s. In 1996, it was the name of Atari Corporation's PC publishing division, bringing games like the Atari Jaguar's ''Tempest 2000'' to the PC platfor ...
.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'' has two official expansion packs: ''Wacky Worlds'' and ''Time Twister'', both released in 2003 and had no involvement from Chris Sawyer, instead being handled by
Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier is known for developing amusement park Construction and management simulation ...
. The ''Combo Park Pack'' edition contains the original game and the ''Wacky Worlds'' expansion. The ''Triple Thrill Pack'' contains the original game and both expansions.
In April 2014, an open-source project, known as
OpenRCT2
OpenRCT2 is a construction and management simulation video game that simulates amusement park management. It is a free and open-source re-implementation and expansion of the 2002 video game ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2''. In order to create an accur ...
, was launched to enhance the gameplay of RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, including fixing bugs and allowing the game to run natively on macOS, Linux and modern Windows. The game is completely re-written in the C++ programming language, but still relies on assets from the original game. OpenRCT2 reduces limitations in the original, and adds other completely new features such as multiplayer.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3''
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' was released on November 2nd 2004 in North America. Although the core features of ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' are based on the previous games,
Chris Sawyer
Christopher Sawyer is a Scottish video game designer and programmer. He is best known for creating ''Transport Tycoon'', which has been considered "one of the most important simulation games ever made", and the bestseller '' RollerCoaster Tyc ...
, the developer of the first two games, acted only as a consultant. The game was developed by
Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier is known for developing amusement park Construction and management simulation ...
instead, and published and advertised by
Atari Interactive
Atari Interactive is a name used by several separate groups and corporations since the mid-1990s. In 1996, it was the name of Atari Corporation's PC publishing division, bringing games like the Atari Jaguar's ''Tempest 2000'' to the PC platfor ...
featuring a completely different structure.
Two expansion packs for ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' were released - ''Soaked!'' and ''Wild!''. A bundle, ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Gold'', was also released, including the original game and the ''Soaked!'' expansion pack; this was followed by ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum'' (Deluxe for the EU version of the game), including both expansion packs and the original game. ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum'' was released for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
and
Mac OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...
.
A remastered version of the game titled ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition'', developed and published by
Frontier Foundry, was released for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
macOS
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
, and
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
, featuring widescreen support and revamped controls to accommodate for Switch features.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon World''
''RollerCoaster Tycoon World'' was developed by Nvizzio Creations for Atari Interactive and RCTO Productions and released on 16 November 2016. The installment is different from previous games in that players build coasters with a spline-based system. It also introduced a new "Architect mode" and "safety-rating" options when building coasters. The game is also the first to incorporate the Steam Workshop.
The game received largely negative reviews, both from critics and fans of the franchise, particularly compared to ''
Planet Coaster
''Planet Coaster'' is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments for Microsoft Windows. It was released worldwide on 17 November 2016. Frontier had previously worked in the amusement par ...
'', which was released the day after and received largely positive reviews.
Spinoffs
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D''
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D'' was released on October 16th 2012. It was developed by
n-Space
n-Space Inc. was an American video game developer founded in 1994 by Erick S. Dyke, Dan O'Leary, and Sean Purcell. It developed games on nearly a dozen different platforms, but was mostly focused on Nintendo consoles and handhelds in particul ...
for the
Nintendo 3DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
. While using many assets and engine content from ''Rollercoaster Tycoon 3'', this game reverted to an isometric view and, due to the limitations of the Nintendo 3DS, removed features such as additional scenery and pools.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile''
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile'' was released on April 10th 2014. The game was initially available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. The game was later released for Android devices (OS 4.0.3 and higher) on October 18th 2014. The game was developed by On5 Games without Chris Sawyer's input (other than licensing).
The game returns to the isometric view used in the first two games. The game is built on the
freemium
Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...
model with social media integration.
This installment was universally panned amongst fans and critics alike. It was criticized due to Chris Sawyer's absence in the making of the game and the heavy use of microtransactions and wait times.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Mobile Edition''
Released in August 2015, ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Mobile Edition'' is an iOS version of ''
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' is a 2004 construction and management simulation video game. It is the third installment in the '' RollerCoaster Tycoon'' series. ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' places players in charge of managing amusement parks; rides ...
'' developed and published by Frontier and is a faithful port of the original game (tutorial mode, original 18 scenarios for career, and a sandbox).
''RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic''
On December 22nd 2016 a modified port of both ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' and ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'' was released for iOS and Android, featuring a single price point for the majority of content from both of the original games. It also features three in-app purchases for Expansion Pack content, based on the two expansion packs from ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'' and an editor pack that allows users to create custom scenarios.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch''
First released for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
devices in December 2016, ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch'' is a
free-to-play
Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
mobile port of ''RollerCoaster Tycoon World''. Like ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 4'', it contains in-app purchases and wait times, but expands upon the
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
integration. An
Android version was released in April 2017. In October 2017, items based on the
Barbie doll brand were added to the game. On January 28th items based on
Shaun The Sheep
''Shaun the Sheep'' is a British stop-motion television series and a spin-off of the ''Wallace and Gromit'' franchise. The title character is Shaun (previously featured as the sheep named "Shaun" in the 1995 short film ''A Close Shave'' and t ...
were added to the game.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride''
An on-rails shooter based on the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise, named RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride, was released in 2018. The game was poorly received.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures''
In January 2018, Atari Game Partners announced it was seeking
equity crowdfunding
Equity crowdfunding is the online offering of private company securities to a group of people for investment and therefore it is a part of the capital markets. Because equity crowdfunding involves investment into a commercial enterprise, it ...
via the StartEngine platform in order to develop a new game in the series. Titled ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures'', it is an adaption of ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch'' and was released for the
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
in Europe on November 29th 2018, and in North America on December 13th. The game was also released on
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
via the
Epic Games Store
The Epic Games Store is a digital video game storefront for Microsoft Windows and macOS, operated by Epic Games. It launched in December 2018 as both a website and a standalone launcher, of which the latter is required to download and play gam ...
on March 19th 2019.
''RollerCoaster Tycoon Puzzle''
''RollerCoaster Tycoon Puzzle'' (originally known as ''RollerCoaster Tycoon Story'') is a free-to-play entry in the series developed by Graphite Lab. Atari released the game in January 2020 for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
and
Android mobile devices.
The free-to-play title is based on the
tile-matching genre, in which the tiles to match move each turn on rollercoaster tracks within each level. Completing levels helps the player to restore a run-down theme park as part of the game's narrative.
Gameplay
The player is given control over an
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
and is tasked with reaching particular goals, such as improving the park's value, attracting more guests, or maintaining the park rating. Some scenarios in the game provide an empty plot of land and allow the player to build a park from scratch, while others provide a ready-built park which usually suffers from deterioration, bad planning, or underdevelopment. The player must wisely invest the limited amount of money provided.
Most scenarios require that the goals be achieved by a specific in-game date, or else the scenario is not 'complete'. Completion of scenarios is a prerequisite for unlocking further scenarios in the first ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' game. In ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'', all the scenarios are available for play and the player can complete them in any order they choose.
The player is responsible for building out the park such as modifying terrain, constructing footpaths, adding decorative elements, installing food/drink stalls and other facilities, and building rides and attractions. Many of the rides that can be built are roller coasters or variations on that, such as log flumes, water slides and go-kart tracks. The player can build these out with hills, drops, curves, and other 'special' track pieces (such as loops, corkscrews and helixes), limited only by cost and the geography of the park and other nearby attractions. There are also stationary rides, such as Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, and bumper cars, most of which only contain single ride 'piece' and are very limited in terms of variation. Rides are ranked on scales of excitement, intensity, and
nausea
Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...
, all which influence which park guests will ride those attractions and how they will behave afterward. The player can set the prices for park admission rides and guest amenities, although care must be taken so that guests will not think prices are too high. The player is also responsible for hiring park staff to maintain the rides, keep the park clean, enforce security, and entertain guests. Players may also invest in 'research', which unlocks new rides and improvements as time goes on, though it costs money to continue research. Research in a particular category is disabled when all attractions in that category are researched.
The guests, who are integral to the gameplay, are treated as separate entities which can each have particular characteristics and be tracked by the player around the park. The game keeps track of how much money they have, what they are carrying, their thoughts, and what their current needs are (thirst, hunger, etc.). Each guest also has some unique features such as their preferred ride intensity, and their nausea tolerance. Some scenarios are even biased towards a specific guest demographic and require the player to take this into account in designing the park. In ''
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3
''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' is a 2004 construction and management simulation video game. It is the third installment in the '' RollerCoaster Tycoon'' series. ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'' places players in charge of managing amusement parks; rides ...
'', the player can create their own guest groups to visit their parks.
Sequels have continually upgraded the number of rides and amount of customization available to the player.
Legacy
''
Planet Coaster
''Planet Coaster'' is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments for Microsoft Windows. It was released worldwide on 17 November 2016. Frontier had previously worked in the amusement par ...
'', which has been called a
spiritual successor
A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product lin ...
to ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'', was developed and published by
Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments is a British video game developer founded by David Braben in January 1994 and based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. Frontier is known for developing amusement park Construction and management simulation ...
for Microsoft Windows and was released worldwide on November 17th 2016. Frontier Developments had previously worked in the amusement park construction and management genre with the Xbox port of ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'', ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 3'', ''Thrillville'', ''Thrillville: Off the Rails'', and ''Zoo Tycoon''.
''
OpenRCT2
OpenRCT2 is a construction and management simulation video game that simulates amusement park management. It is a free and open-source re-implementation and expansion of the 2002 video game ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2''. In order to create an accur ...
'' (2014) is an open-source version of ''RollerCoaster Tycoon 2'' which adds some additional features and fixes numerous bugs.
Several user-created rollercoasters received media attention after footage of them were posted on various
imageboards
An imageboard is a type of Internet forum that focuses on the posting of images, often alongside text and discussion. The first imageboards were created in Japan as an extension of the textboard concept. These sites later inspired the creation of ...
and
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
.
The ''RollerCoaster Tycoon'' series spawned a popular
Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
based on a series of posts made in 2012 on
4chan
4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website. Launched by Christopher "moot" Poole in October 2003, the site hosts boards dedicated to a wide variety of topics, from anime and manga to video games, cooking, weapons, television, ...
featuring a slow, ghost train track ride called "Mr. Bones' Wild Ride" that took four in-game years to complete, leading the passengers in the game to express "I want to get off Mr. Bones Wild Ride". At the ride's conclusion, the passengers were then greeted by a skeleton prop with a top hat, with a sign stating "The ride never ends". Both phrases have become popular memes.
Other media
The franchise has also spawned a board game and a pinball machine by Stern, both released in 2002,
and a series of
gamebook
A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not ...
s released in 2002 and 2003. In 2010, it was reported that
Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by Son ...
had acquired the rights to develop a film adaptation of the series.
References
External links
*
{{RollerCoaster Tycoon series
Amusement park simulation games
Business simulation games
Roller coaster games and simulations
Video game franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1999
Video games set in amusement parks