Dear Retailers!
We are just over half a month out from the Early Access release of King of Retail 2. We couldn’t be more excited as Alpha testers and demo players have been a tremendous help in helping us iron out pain points and make improvements in both performance and tutorialization. This process is ongoing, but with a clear goal of making King of Retail 2 leagues better and more in-depth than the original.
But May 22nd will only be the start of the game’s journey, as we are entering into Early Access, I wanted to share what our plans are for the game over the long term, and what we plan to work on between now and the distant day when we exit Early Access into a 1.0 Release.
Introducing the King of Retail 2 Roadmap
Digging Deeper, What Does it All Mean?
Expanding the in-game Build Mode
We plan to introduce Multi-floor layouts, interior walls, and custom rooms. Create even more internal sectioning in your floor plan, or design huge, multi-level department stores.
- Big multi-floor layouts & interior walls
- Custom rooms
- New cleaning tasks for floors and windows.
HQ Expansion & Multistores
Centralize your operations with a revamped HQ, including offices, team areas, and space to relax in. Players are now able to run multiple stores and Concepts, promote floor managers, and take the CEO seat. This will serve as a greater layer to KoR’s classic gameplay, allowing players to manage huge enterprises at scale.
- Support to develop new Concepts and divide up your company’s branding.
- Manage store at scale, including managing employee transfers and central accounting.
- Automate stores so they produce business even when you aren’t present.
Marketing & Concepts:
Marketing will allow the player to have a greater impact on the greater world through the creation of Concepts that have talents, capabilities, or strengths. Players will also be able to set up billboards and advertise their businesses to improve reputation and foot traffic.
- Improved concept customisation
- Supplier relationship interaction for better deals, exclusives, and new products
Improved Employees
Build team structures that shape their mood, productivity, and learning. So, make sure to keep them happy or risk losing them. Spot talent and promote them to flagship stores or HQ roles.
- Unique staff wants, needs, and a more human-like personality
- Employee hierarchies that can be set up in the shop and HQ
City Revamps
Explore new maps with unique settings and a fully overhauled city—buildings, traffic, and pedestrians included. The city evolves over time, which unlocks fresh opportunities and a brand new customer flow.
Competition Update
Face off against rival chains competing for city dominance. Protect your turf, win back territory, and keep your security tight so no one runs away with your expensive computers.
Display Designer Overhaul
As a key new addition to KoR2, the Display Designer will be seeing an overhaul later in development as we add additional functionality to mix-and-match types of products on single displays, as well as additional options for designs.
And Finally, More Product! Always More Product!
And in complement to major milestone updates that add new features, we will be more frequently adding new products, product design, and product types throughout development to expand what you’re capable of selling across all your stores.
How long do you plan to be in Early Access?
As a solo developer, a project like King of Retail 2 needs to be measured in years, and we’re committed to the long haul of delivering a fully-featured, polished end product in the game. We expect Early Access to take around 3 years of development, including the above milestones. We don’t expect this period to be idle, however, as we’ll be adding the above milestones periodically throughout EA alongside more frequent product updates, bug fixes, and performance improvements.
How can I contribute to Early Access?
The best thing to help shape the course of King of Retail 2 would be to join our public discord, where we have a very active community of over 2000+ players constantly providing feedback on features, testing upcoming features, and giving quality critical feedback that helps us improve the game.
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I’ve been very fortunate to have the support and good will from people who loved King of Retail 1 and much of that has informed how and why I wanted to make the improvement in King of Retail 2 that I did. It’s my greatest wish that Early Access can be a positive experience for all players and provide lasting positive impact on the game.
I can’t wait for King of Retail 2 to finally release and show you all what’s in store for our sequel. I hope you’re all excited too.
Kind Regards,
Daniel