Gamers who remember roller-ball mice and convex CRT monitors might remember the rigorous challenge of the early Industry Giant games. Whether you started out with a humble plot of farm land or a single warehouse, your goal was to build your budding business into an industrial empire, plotting everything from wages, to consumer pricing, to the transport network that would ferry your goods to the masses.
The Industry Giant games were tough but rewarding classics from the golden age of business management games on PC, and now the long-lost series has returned with Industry Giant 4.0, which has just landed in Steam Early Access.
In its bid to recapture the long-haul joy of building up a thriving business from scratch, Industry Giant 4.0 adds plenty of layers to the already deep simulation of the earlier games (not to mention a shiny new 3D graphics engine). Starting out during the industrial boom of the 1950s, you'll experience the evolution of industry throughout the decades, as the world moves towards automation and digitisation, while grappling with realistic events like climate regulations and the booms-and-busts of the global economy.
You'll get to dabble in 25 different industries—from agriculture to mining, to more modern industries like foundries and furniture. There is no one way to play Industry Giant 4.0, which is designed to accommodate your vision for an industry, and your style of running a business. The game will evolve according to your company philosophy, as you'll be able to implement your own policies, marketing approaches, and (hopefully ethical!) management of your workforce.
It's not all about workforce and transport management either. Like every good industrial tycoon, you'll need to familiarise yourself with the tables and charts that will help you optimise the flow of products from raw resources into high-quality consumer goods. You'll need to keep up with the times, as consumer tastes change over the eras—from foods and furniture, to electronics and computers. You'll have to have your finger firmly on the societal pulse if you don't want to fall behind the fast-changing world of the late 20th century.
Series veterans will be pleased to see that plenty of new systems are being implemented to smooth out your tycoon journey. The new 'Zones' feature will simplify building placement, allowing you to focus more on production than painstakingly researching the perfect pixels to plonk down your business on. During the Early Access phase players will get the chance to take more control: you'll be able to place your buildings outside the pre-defined zones but a new reputation system will force you to be mindful of where you set up shop; the residents of a neighbourhood won't take kindly to you setting up dirty industries next door to them, for instance, while factories next to nature reserves will quickly get the environmentalists on your case.
The transport system's received a big overhaul too. You'll have plenty enough on your plate with setting routes and increasing the efficiency of production cycles, so Industry Giant 4.0 is streamlining the process of scheduling vehicles with an in-game despatcher to take of scheduling trains, trucks, and other vehicles, letting you get on with more important matters.
So are you ready to plant your flag and make your mark on the world? Head over to Steam and dive into Industry Giant 4.0 Early Access now. Like your own business aspirations, the game is in its earliest stage, but Early Access adopters get to be part of its journey to becoming a powerhouse of business management sims. You can also follow publisher Toplitz's journey on Facebook and X, as well as joining its Discord community.
