Rollercoaster Tycoon World Enters Steam Early Access Next Week

In a new blog post by Atari, the final release for the next RollerCoaster Tycoon game has been detailed. The game is called RollerCoaster Tycoon World, and after a couple years of development it hopes to awaken one of PC gaming's most beloved franchise. Though, it isn't ready for a full release quite yet.

Priced at $49.99, RollerCoaster Tycoon World will enter Steam Early Access on March 29th. Atari's move to go with an Early Access approach has stunned a few gamers, but an explanation was provided as such:
 

As some of you may have guessed, we’ve been silently running a large test group with some members of the community since the beginning of the year. We’ve made so much progress with this group – getting invaluable feedback, testing ideas, and more – that we realized how much of a boon letting the rest of the community in will be in shaping our game. We cannot thank this group enough for their passion for the franchise and their contribution to the game, and for inspiring us to let the rest of you into the world of RCTW.

This is why we have decided to release RCTW initially as Early Access.

In addition to providing feedback on the features we are delivering including UGC, the simulation and the Coaster builder, you’ll be helping to optimize the title by seeing what kind of performance the game can provide from system to system. Your feedback will be critical. To provide us with this feedback, we’ll be creating dedicated Early Access forums on our website and Steam, and we will be there daily, along with the Nvizzio team.
 

In other words, the game has come a long way, but Atari wants to spend a more time having Nvizzio Creations polish the game, adding features, and listening to customer feedback before it hits a final debut. It's a reasonable proposition, especially given the smaller size of Atari these days.

In the following few months these features and pieces of content will be added via free updates:

  • Piece-by-Piece Custom Built Structures
  • Scenario Editor
  • Mini-rides and Dark Rides
  • Additional scenarios
  • Transport Rides
  • Fence Builder
  • New and expanded decoration themes
  • Additional Flat-rides
  • Weather
  • Custom music
  • New Rollercoaster types

Early Access games are usually a risky proposition. Thankfully, Atari says that it will allow refunds during the first two days following Early Access.

All in all, it's hard not to root for this game. The first two RollerCoaster Tycoon games were significant for PC gaming, and there's no reason that the franchise can't be successful in the modern era. Though, the odds are stacked against it if recent releases are any indication. Here's to hoping that it turns out for the best.