“Our biggest audience is definitely kids or parents that play the game with their kids. Farming Simulator found a new generation of fans when it debuted on mobile devices for the first time in 2012, and again when Giants ported it to consoles in 2013.
WHAT IS THE FIRST FARMING SIMULATOR 2008 SOFTWARE
Giants Software even attends trade shows like Agritechnica to showcase the game and interact with its partners.Īnd as the series grew, so did the size of its audience. Nowadays, players can operate machinery from almost 100 different manufacturers, including major companies like John Deere and Samson Agro. “But that wouldn’t have been possible for us to pay every brand we had, even if it was just a small percentage of our revenue.”įortunately, that changed as the series’ popularity rose and companies began recognizing the marketing benefits of being in Farming Simulator. “For the manufacturers, it was a tricky thing to convince them that we weren’t part of a regular toy company because they all pay those manufacturers for the brand name,” said Geiger. But another challenge the developers ran into in those early years was trying to bring other brands onboard and to see the value of putting their machines in the game.
WHAT IS THE FIRST FARMING SIMULATOR 2008 PC
It ended up being a big hit in Europe, selling 150,000 copies on PC and enabling Giants to hire more employees. The result was Farming Simulator 2008, which mostly had generic vehicles and tools (the exception being German equipment manufacturer Fendt). They also took photos of real farming equipment and searched online for images and videos for further reference. While both men grew up in the countryside and were familiar with farming, they still had to do a lot of research and consult with friends. The duo realized there weren’t many games out there that realistically depicted the life of a farmer, so they set out to make something that would show what it’s like to operate a tractor and other common pieces of agricultural machinery. Giants Software started in 2008 with just two people: Geiger and CEO Christian Ammann.
… But there are tons of different motivations for playing the game,” said Giants cofounder and CTO Stefan Geiger. “I think the main reason why people continue playing is because of the game’s RPG loop: you do the work, get more money, and use that to buy bigger, cooler machines and grow your farm. But for the most part, Farming Simulator fans just love the series for its calm, meditative gameplay. The latest entry, Farming Simulator 20, came out in December for iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch.Īccording to Giants, some of its dedicated players actually have a farming background or work in a related industry (like suppliers and mechanics). Since debuting 11 years ago, the series has quietly sold more than 25 million copies and been downloaded 90 million times on mobile. That’s the core conceit behind Farming Simulator, and it’s a formula that’s been working well for Switzerland-based indie studio Giants Software. Sometimes, you just want to take a step back and … tend to a field and harvest some digital crops. But all that excitement can feel a little overwhelming. Some of the best games of 2019 took us on thrilling adventures or made us a part of an engrossing storyline. This article is made possible by Intel’s GameDev BOOST program - dedicated to helping indie game developers everywhere achieve their dreams