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Atari hand-off RollerCoaster Tycoon World development to Tropico and Sims alumni

RollerCoaster Tycoon World

If only there were a dramatic metaphor to fit the making of RollerCoaster Tycoon World. There’ve been ups and downs, twists and turns – and the whole thing has at times felt like an ominous uphill climb, with all of us waiting for release.

The resurgent sim began life as the undistinguished RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 on phones, and was later stripped of its microtransactions to become RollerCoaster Tycoon World on our fair platform. But Atari have plans for the PC – and those involve a new developer and an “open forum” for the troubled tycoon game.

Atari are keen to open up “new community channels” – and not with the aim of sadistically plunging a community train full of park guests into the community waters.

They’ve built a new RollerCoaster Tycoon World website, with forums they promise to keep an ear to. And they’ve handed the game to new studio Area 52 Games, who’ve assembled a team from Tropico, The Sims, Railroad Tycoon, Pirates, Age of Empires and Forza veterans.

Last we heard, the PC version was with Pipeworks Software – the outfit behind a number of Godzilla games yonks ago.

“Many thanks to Pipeworks for all their efforts in getting us to this point in the development of the game,” wrote Area 52. “We are so excited to continue working on RCTW, and are 100 percent focused on creating the next great RCT game.”

Expect screenshots, dev blogs and the like over the coming months. What do you expect from the finished sim?