Thunder has said that no genre is out of the future SteamGames of the world.
In an interview with Xbox Expansion PassSteamWorld franchise director Brjann Sigurgeirsson said Thunderful wants to continue taking the series in new directions, although it doesn’t rule out direct sequels to existing games.
Since the series’ launch in 2010, five games spanning different genres have been released: SteamWorld Tower Defense, SteamWorld Dig, SteamWorld Heist, SteamWorld Dig 2, and SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech.
SteamWorld Build Announcement Trailer
There are currently several unannounced SteamWorld games in development alongside SteamWorld Headhunter announced in November 2021 and SteamWorld Build announced last month.
“Is there a genre where we feel like, yeah, let’s not go there? No, not really,” Sigurgeirsson said Xbox Expansion Pass, though he added that he finds horror games hard to stomach, so making a scary game isn’t at the top of his list.
“I really love the idea that SteamWorld is open in every direction. I mean, now it’s a card game, it’s a city builder slashing dungeon dock, there’s two Dig games, there’s a turn-based tactics game, there’s a tower defense game. It’s like, wouldn’t it be great to be able to surprise with each or every notification? It just sounds so good to me.
“Imagine the alternative that we were locked into this genre and only made sequels. How boring would it be to talk to us every time? ‘Tell us, SteamWorld Dig 35, how is it different from 34?'” I think this is infinitely better to do, so we are not afraid any genre, we’re open to anything that makes sense.
Sigurgeirsson added that this does not mean that there will be more sequels within the same genre, such as a possible SteamWorld Dig 3.
“We’ve already done one sequel, like SteamWorld Dig 2. I think we act the same way as the players. We sit and play these games and we enjoy playing them a lot and we always think things like what would happen next [in a follow-up].
“I mean, I think a sequel is always an option, and it’s great if it’s because if we make a game that’s all armor, we’re not going to make a sequel because we’re probably not going to get our money back and we’ve pissed people off once with this game , why do it twice. But for games that people like, there’s nothing to stop sequels.”
Developed by Thunderful’s in-house studio The Station, SteamWorld Build is billed as “Anno meets Dungeon Keeper.”
According to Thunderful: “As is the tradition of the franchise, SteamWorld Build takes a well-known genre and gives it a unique twist, offering a multi-level city-building experience where you’re tasked with building a thriving city above ground, mining resources and dealing with the monsters below.”
A Steam demo is available now ahead of the game’s release later this year PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
