Restaurant Tycoon 2: Manx online game reaches 1 billion plays
I'm Cameron, a business owner from the Isle of Man and creator of the online game Restaurant Tycoon 2. I'm thrilled to share with you the story of how this game came to be, and how it reached the incredible milestone of 1 billion play sessions.
Restaurant Tycoon 2 is one of many games on the worldwide online gaming platform, Roblox. It's a tycoon game - based around the idea that the player starts with a small, basic restaurant with a couple of tables, and is tasked with gradually growing this over time. As they invest more time into the game, they can create a large, 5-star restaurant with gourmet food and luxury furniture.
Since its release in October 2019, it has accumulated over 1 billion play sessions. A 'play session' is when any person from around the world decides to open up the game - this can be on their computer, phone, tablet or even Xbox. The game has very high engagement; after playing the game for the first time, a high percentage of users have so much fun that they decide to come back for more. Some of the most dedicated fans will play the game multiple times per day, and this factor has certainly helped the game reach the illustrious 1-billion-play mark.
A player built this 2-story restaurant in Restaurant Tycoon 2; they named it 'Le Sant-Gregorio' and it has been liked 17 times by other players
Roblox contains thousands of games produced by developers from around the world
My journey as a game developer began when I was around 14 years old. Most nights, I would come home from school and indulge myself for hours in learning how to code and create games, probably when I should have been doing more homework! As my passion evolved and my skills as a game developer improved, I began to create more complex and polished games. At this point, even the smallest successes would fill me with joy. In school, I used to check my phone at lunch time to see how many people were playing my games. Even if a single player was playing at that moment, it would delight me. Eventually, I found myself on the path of making games professionally, and I couldn't be happier with where this early passion for programming has taken me.
The story of Restaurant Tycoon begins in 2017. Inspired by my friend's suggestion to create a restaurant-based game, this was the latest passion project I began working on. One of my biggest inspirations was the (now-defunct) Facebook game, Restaurant City. This was one of my all-time favourite games as a kid, and now has a permanent part in my heart. I wanted to create a game that would evoke the same happiness and emotion that I experienced myself growing up.
The first iteration of Restaurant Tycoon was a great success in its own right. However, a couple of years later in 2019, I decided to create the second version. Armed with a couple of extra years of programming experience, I knew that I could build upon what I had already to create something special. In total, I spent around 6 months developing the game. My 3-month break at the end of my first year of university was dedicated to working on Restaurant Tycoon 2 (rather than enjoying the summer sun!). It was released in October of that year, and gained popularity almost instantly.
Restaurant Tycoon 2 is also an educational and social experience. It contains around 200 different foods from over 25 countries, allowing players to learn about different cuisines from around the world. It's also part of the metaverse; not only can players work on their own restaurant, but they can also explore the 3D environment and discover others' creations. They can choose to sit down and order food from another player's restaurant, or even help them out and work as a chef or waiter for them. This also encourages families to play together. I've heard many stories about parents playing Restaurant Tycoon 2 with their children, creating a 'family' restaurant, and sometimes enjoying the game more than their kids!
Restaurant Tycoon 2 won a prize in the 2019 Bloxy Awards, an event celebrating the best Roblox creations of the year
A screenshot of the landing page for Restaurant Tycoon 2 on mobile, after the game reached 1 billion plays. The game has a 92% thumbs-up rating!
As of writing, the game has around 500,000 daily active users and 7 million unique players every month. Part of the reason for this is its high accessibility. For example, the game is both suitable, and fun, for all ages. Also, we are proud that the game has been translated into over 20 languages since its release. This has increased popularity in many regions of the world, including South America and South-East Asia, where the game is very popular. Finally, playing the game doesn't require any powerful equipment or an expensive gaming PC; it can be played on any average smartphone, and performs well too!
While the game is free to play, it earns money through the sale of game passes and other game products. Players can spend their virtual currency, called Robux, to unlock features such as exclusive furniture items, or extra money boosters for their restaurant.
Creating Restaurant Tycoon 2 has been an incredible journey so far, and we are thrilled that so many players have enjoyed our game. We continue to update the game regularly with new content to keep players engaged. For example, just this year we have added new café food, dishwashers and other new furniture items. We are committed to keeping the game fresh and exciting for years to come, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for Restaurant Tycoon 2.
Thank you to my players, new and old, who I give my gratitude for helping me reach this epic milestone. You are awesome!
You can play the game for free today, with whatever device you're using to read this article:
