Tycoon or Survival?

Back in 2019, we were brainstorming the name of the game. One of the proposed variants caught our attention immediately - Cartel Tycoon. Catchy and Self-explanatory, right? Yes, but…

As we've found out later on, for some of you, it was somewhat misleading, as the Tycoon genre is so broad and versatile. Our primary inspiration sources were Tropico and Frostpunk, not exactly Tycoons, more like Survival games.

So let's find out, are we more Tycoon than Survival or vice versa?

Tycoon: Build your production chains

Survival: But… Production requires periodic tweaking and micromanagement, and Buildings can and will be seized, burned, or destroyed

You, as a young and naive Capo, start small and plan a grand success for your Cartel. At first, all goes well; money starts to flow in. And here problems begin! Government starts to notice you and enemy gangs as well. And at this moment, you know… real Cartel started its journey.

Tycoon: Generate resources and profit

Survival: But…Lose it due to federals confiscating your warehouses and residences as there is no silver bullet to avoid all the negative events

Time passes, and you expand your empire, but there's always this struggle - how to get rid of all these excess resources and dirty money piled up all around your residence, warehouses, and smuggling points?

Expand! You expand, build more, and now all looks good, but not for long, as now you have even more money you need to deal with! Hyperprofit that's one of your enemies in our game. Maybe it's time to burn the excess, but we don't have a crematorium in-game 😃

Tycoon: Personnel management

Survival: But…Deal with all their needs, meltdowns and personal quests, and greed for money, of course

New lieutenants - loyal, working for free cause they idolize you. They grow, become powerful, and at the same time, greedy. And you, as a leader, harsh but fair, decide how to deal with those who want to dethrone you. Maybe it's a jail that will cool them off, or some accident with a gas stove will get rid of them, who knows. Or maybe… money, money can solve many problems but not all of them.

Tycoon: Do business with the competitors (Enemy Gangs)

Survival: But… Fend off their constant attacks while trying to lower a Terror

The whole world is against you, there are no friends to rely on. You're alone. And the burden of responsibility grows with every new farm, every new region. You fight your way with everything you have: Bribes, Takeovers, Assassinations, Wars against enemy gangs, and government with their infinite law enforcement capabilities.

That's the experience we're trying to share with you, show you the other side - Building your empire against all the odds and challenges the world throws at you. By the way, "Narconomics" by Tom Wainwright was one of the inspiration materials for Cartel Tycoon.

And our main goal and challenge are to present this experience as enjoyable to you, our players as possible, so we continue to add QoL, balance changes, and fixes to the game for a better experience with every update. We hope you enjoyed this little reflection on the topic.

Are we Tycoon or Survival? or something else… Please Let us know in the comments what you think. Show 'em what you're worth, Capo! ːcartel_nothing_personalː