Think there are too many similar battle royale games? Or perhaps you’re a member of PUBG’s community, ready to revolt over the state of the former king of the genre. If you think you can do a better job, Battle Royale Tycoon will give you a chance.
The developers of the upcoming PC game say on the Battle Royale Tycoon’s Steam page that it will allow you to design your own battle royale contests, which computer-controlled “guests” will then be able to try out and evaluate. You’re not developing new video games to play. You’re developing new death matches for virtual people to slaughter each other in. If they don’t love what you’ve put together, you can change layouts, add cover, and swap out guns.
The game will also include more traditional theme park tycoon elements, so you’ll be populating your murder carnival with shops, bathrooms, shooting ranges, and things of the like as well. This means the battle royale winners stand to receive the ultimate prize: a day at a theme park with no lines.
You’ll also have to clean up arenas in between matches, which sounds grim.
The whole ruthlessly-capitalist-slaughter-fair conceit sounds bleak, but that’s par for the course when it comes to battle royale. Extremely fun, but also based on a fascist bloodsport from a 1999 Japanese horror novel in which characters were decidedly not having fun. In Battle Royale Tycoon’s case, you’ve gotta wonder if the fun will hold up when you’re the one pulling the levers and rearranging level layouts instead of parachuting into the thick of battle. If all goes according to plan, we’ll find out later this year.
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