Yesterday, Aug 13, Atari announced the return of the beloved “RollerCoaster Tycoon” series as a PC title with a teaser for the upcoming “RollerCoaster Tycoon World” due out in early 2015. Atari promises this will be a full-fledged effort to bring the series back to its established roots featuring a combination of fan-favorite features and completely new gameplay elements. The game will include a more innovative track builder, more rides than ever before, and all-new cooperative multiplayer functions in addition to the classic single-player modes. Most importantly, developers Pipeworks – who are the minds behind games such as WSOP: Full House Pro for Xbox 360 and Zumba Fitness for PS3, Wii, and 360 – promise the release will be a full premium PC experience, meaning it will be completely micro-transaction free.
According to Atari CEO Fred Chesnais, “Many of the new features in ‘RollerCoaster Tycoon World’ were not possible a few years ago.” Thanks to advancements in technology, fans can now look forward to visiting other player-created parks, share blueprints of coasters, and chose from multiple landscapes to build upon. In addition to the classic single-player mode full of ride designing and deep simulation, players will be able to collaborate with up to four players to create one massive amusement park together.
This marks the sixth title overall in the “RollerCoaster Tycoon” series. After the original “Chris Sawyer” Trilogy and an eight-year hiatus, fans were thrilled to hear that Atari had plans to reboot the series with an all new version of the game for the Nintendo 3DS. Unfortunately, it fell a little short of fan expectations and received mainly negative reviews from the critics. In response, Atari decided to move the development to a mobile platform, releasing “RollerCoaster Tycoon 4” exclusively on iOS. This title was more successful, however its heavy use of micro-transactions were heavily criticized. This must be what ultimately led to the decision to return to PC, as the interest was clearly there, but hardcore fans of the series wanted the classic titles they know and love. Although much information really hasn’t been released, the train of through looks very promising for those looking for a trip down memory lane.