Publisher Atari and developer Pipeworks are preparing to take consumers on an high def thrill ride with the next installment in the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, slated for a release in early 2015.
While mobile versions of the theme park creator have been released over the last few years, RollerCoaster Tycoon World will be the first full-fat release in the series since 2004's RollerCoaster Tycoon 3.
Like previous versions of RollerCoaster Tycoon, players will designs and manage rides, shops and side shows in their custom theme parks. Destructible coasters will return, along with first-person rides.
New features include the ability to visit other theme parks online, share blueprints with other players and landscape the theme park grounds.
"The RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise has captured the heart of gaming enthusiasts globally for close to 15 years, and we're eager to provide the next installment of the phenomenal series to new and life-long fans," said Atari CEO Fred Chesnais. "Many of the new features in RollerCoaster Tycoon World were not possible a few years ago, but we have taken advantage of technological improvements to offer a wildly fun gaming experience that stays true to the storied franchise. This is the game fans have been asking for."
With over 10 years between its major released, discounting mobile versions, RollerCoaster Tycoon World is a revival of sorts for the franchise. Unlike the 2013 revival of Sim City, RollerCoaster Tycoon won't take on one of the unsavory habits that have formed in recent years, according to Pipeworks.
Likely to delight many fans of the series, the latest installment of the RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise one include microtransactions, according to Pipeworks.
"With many new content updates targeted to our core fans over the next few weeks and months, the game will only become better and more fun," said Tony Chien, senior director of marketing at Atari.
Pipeworks hasn't spoken of an always online element. If the RollerCoaster Tycoon World developers learned anything from the shakey launch of 2013's Sim City and the game's squandered opportunities, the theme park simulator will allow its single player mode to be played offline and not force its player to wait.
RollerCoaster Tycoon was announced at Gamescom 2014, where it was greeted with competition from Microsoft.
While it appears it can be hardly classified as a simulator, Scream Ride may satiate Xbox One gamers that won't have the PC power to run the upcoming RollerCoaster Tycoon at its best or who simply want to play a more whimsical game. In Scream Ride, players build rides to draw screams from AI riders.
