APAC Developers Should Make City-Building Games

For APAC Developers, creating a city-building game is a daunting task. Developers need deeper insight to design a game whose genre is known for player agency. As much as it is a challenge, if a dev team has the passion, anything is possible.

APAC developers are creative and crafty in their game portfolios. However, creativity may not be the driving force in city-building games—it is meticulousness.

The primary issue with developers in the APAC market is accessibility. Economies in the region place players in a position to prefer free-to-play games. Because of this problem, city-building games experience hurdles due to the costs of their development. Most city-building games in the market price high due to their genre’s design. 

APAC Developers Game Demographic 

APAC games focus on the mobile gaming scene. Games like Mobile Legends and CODM are the mainstay for the region. The cause of the mobile gaming boom goes back to accessibility.

APAC’s wealth isn’t on-par with western countries, thus the uncommon PC owner in APAC. Professional players for PC titles are observed to transition to a mobile title in APAC. 

Organizations aim to invest in mobile title competition due to the lower operating costs. No PCs to procure and maintain means lesser expenditure and higher commitment to scouting talent and other ventures.

The fact of the matter is, PC gaming is expensive for most people born and living in APAC. Cellphones are much easier to get, and are necessary for modern life.

Hypothetical Scenario

Going by the genre trends, it is unlikely that any APAC developers would venture into city-building. The genre isn’t a hot pick for the APAC community, and its high development commitment is a no-go for most devs. What then is possible? Suppose a dev team ventures into city-building, what can we expect from them?

Will they have broad options? What is the core theme? Are they incorporating APAC elements for added depth? Popular CB games in the west approach with a worldwide theme. Civilization and Anno provide a diverse kit of options deemed unrivaled in the genre. Of course, there is an unmatched charm in games that have a particular focus. A game with an APAC core theme has great depth and variety. 

The Flair of APAC Developers

The APAC region is rich in culture and diverse people. Developers ought to capitalize on this diverse region to enrich their games. Research and attention to details of certain nations can capture the attention of players from that place.

The world knows APAC’s passion for national representation, and developers are wise to utilize that in game design. The core design is important, but what about discussions of game longevity?

People know CB games for being open-ended games. Games like this often go to the idea of DLCs to expand on the base game. A DLC is only as good as the base game, however. No sane customer would pay for a DLC that doesn’t offer a lot. Like a game on its own, it must carry new things to the table and add another layer of gameplay. For CBs, this is easier to approach than execute. DLCs in the genre are designed similarly to a game that can stand on its own. 

APAC devs can draw inspiration from the region to add a city builder game to their portfolio of games. The task is difficult, but it isn’t impossible because the blueprint of successful CB games already exists. 

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