What's interesting, and not immediately apparent, is that Mars itself is not of great value. You play as the head of a corporation that has made planetfall and aims to exploit the planet's natural resources for all they're worth.
Offworld trading company build order full#
The game, already available in Early Access and due for a full launch soon, takes place on Mars.
I always wanted to make an economic strategy game, ever since playing it.”įittingly, Belter could happily fit into the world that Johnson and his team have created in Offworld Trading Company. “ Belter is a game about mining an asteroid belt that I used to play a lot when I was younger. When I ask him about influences he mentions the Market building in Age of Empires, which was home to a fluctuating exchange rate, but it's when he mentions an obscure 1979 boardgame that he seems most excited. Johnson has wanted to make Offworld Trading Company for a very long time. Offworld Trading Company is an economic strategy game and it's about as far from Civ as a strategy game could be. His latest project is a short-form sci-fi strategy game with no military component and, in fact, no combat whatsoever. His short but impressive CV has one standout entry - he was the lead designer of Civilization IV, a game which I hold in very high regard. Last week I visited Mohawk Studios to speak to Soren Johnson.