Deep dive: how Big Ambitions hit it big on Steam | Hacker News Reader

Deep dive: how Big Ambitions hit it big on Steam

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30 pointsnot-now7 comments

I've had the pleasure of chatting with Jonas Hovgaard over the years. He has a real knack for simulation games and knows how to satisfy a niche while also creating wide appeal. I'm jealous of his meticulous approach to making complex systems with simple controls. Startup Company was a huge sleeper hit, Big Ambitions is looking to be a similar success!

Heh. I can't tell if this game is satire or not.

https://youtu.be/l8zQ3piJpqs?t=289

Note: From the blog itself.

The audio is from the Youtuber playing the game, not the game itself.

Oh wow, these developers take this seriously.

Well I guess a suspense of disbelief is always important for these games. But it does make you wonder how many people will legitimately think they'll be able to run a small business by playing this game.

> it does make you wonder how many people will legitimately think they'll be able to run a small business by playing this game.

I don't think that's the goal of simulation games. I don't think anyone who's played Game Dev Tycoon, for example, thinks it actually taught them how to run a game development company.

That's true.

Though, I've always hoped to play a more realistic version of Game Dev Tycoon. Which might sound weird to say. Just going over what it actually is and how people are often worked to their core. Kind of like Darkest Dungeon but yeah.

oh, words cannot describe how stressful the crunch can be at basically any game studio that has deadlines. I've even seen a small indie team as well that had worked on a game for over 5 years and then committed to a release date months ahead of time (https://plasma.game), even though they had no employer to impose anything on them. Game development in general is just a huge mood.

So I agree, it would be nice to see something like Game Dev Tycoon, but not glossing as much over the nitty-gritty details that would keep someone up at night.

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