The monetization tactic is also common to many mobile simulation games that are like RollerCoaster Tycoon. But Atari’s use of the RCT name, albeit without the involvement of the games’ original creator, Chris Sawyer, means many gamers came in with specific expectations, and having to pay repeatedly was not among them.
Chesnais said those expectations should have been different.
“Yeah, you have to wait a little bit, but so what?” he said. “The world was not built overnight. They’re reviewing a mobile game, and a mobile game can’t be a PC game. … People are mad we did not release the PC game first.”
By that, he’s referring to a new computer entry in the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise for PC, slated for release later this year, which Atari has already promised will be a “completely different game.” Chesnais said it would have “multiplayer and social features” but couldn’t say for sure if the PC version would use the same micro-transaction model as the mobile game.
“We have not made a decision on the PC game,” he said. “It’s entertainment, but it’s also business.”
