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Planet Coaster devs Frontier double down on management sims as Warhammer RTS Realms of Ruin suffers slow salesPublishers also behind Elite Dangerous and F1 Manager admit that their efforts to move into other genres haven’t been as successful as hoped
Publishers also behind Elite Dangerous and F1 Manager admit that their efforts to move into other genres haven’t been as successful as hoped
Image credit:Frontier Developments
Image credit:Frontier Developments
Frontier Developments are doubling down on their success inmanagement sim games, following weak sales for recentWarhammer RTS Realms of Ruinand a lack of success in attempting to break into other genres.
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This all comes in the wake of a rocky couple of years for the company, including thecommunity controversy around Elite Dangerous expansion Odysseyand player backlash to what was initially read as a final update toF1 Manager 2022, leading the game’s team to scramble toreassure players that ongoing updates would still be coming.
Image credit:Frontier Developments
As such, the publishers will go back to what they’re best at: what they call “creative management simulation” games, but we just call management sims. Contrasting thatPlanet Coaster,Planet Zoo,Jurassic World EvolutionandJurassic World Evolution 2had collectively made over $500 million and became profitable within a month of release, Frontier said they would “refocus” on creative management simulation games while continuing to support their other games - including Realms of Ruin, as well as F1 Manager andElite Dangerous.
That renewed focus will include the launch of a new management game in each of its 2025, 2026 and 2027 financial years. The hope is that the decision helps Frontier to recover from ailing financials that are expected to see them record a loss of $9 million during 2023-2024 as the result of Realms of Ruin’s flagging sales. The company still expects to break even in their 2025 financial year despite the revised figures for this year. Founder and president David Braben described 2023 as “turbulent and difficult year for Frontier”.
“I am pleased to confirm a third creative management simulation (CMS) game on our development roadmap,” said Frontier CEO Jonny Watts. “I am confident that our renewed focus on CMS will return Frontier back to profitability, deliver stimulating games to our players, and provide rewarding opportunities for our people. I’d like to thank our people and our shareholders for their patience and support as we go through a challenging period of change.”
