Software:Mall Tycoon

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Short description: 2002 video game
Mall Tycoon
Developer(s)Holistic Design
Publisher(s)Take-Two Interactive
Director(s)Andrew Greenberg
Producer(s)Timothy Beggs
Designer(s)Andy Harmon
Programmer(s)Ken Lightner
Edward Glamkowski
Artist(s)John Bridges
Platform(s)Windows
ReleaseFebruary 6, 2002[1]
Genre(s)Business simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Mall Tycoon is a business simulation game, released in 2002 for Windows 95/98/ME. It was developed by Holistic Designs and published by Take-Two Interactive.[2] It has two sequels: Mall Tycoon 2 (which also had a "Deluxe" extended edition) and Mall Tycoon 3.

Gameplay

Development

The game was developed by Holistic Design, creator of the Merchant Prince series.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic41/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStar[4]
GameSpot46/100[5]
GameZone75/100[6]
IGN47/100[7]
Computer Games Magazine30/100[8]

In the United States, Mall Tycoon sold 420,000 copies and earned $7.6 million by August 2006, after its release in January 2002. It was the country's 36th best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all Mall Tycoon series entries released between January 2000 and August 2006 had reached 820,000 units in the United States by the latter date.[9]

The game received "generally unfavorable" reviews, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic.[3] Computer Gaming World criticized the game for its wonky camera and frustrating interface. The magazine opined that even the poorly received Airport Tycoon is a better game than Mall Tycoon.[4]

Sequels

Mall Tycoon 2

Developer(s)Fusion Digital Games; Virtual Playground
Publisher(s)Global Star Software
Designer(s)Holistic Design, Inc.
EnginePC (Windows)
Platform(s)Windows 95/98/ME
Release
  • NA: September 24, 2003
Genre(s)Business simulation game
Mode(s)Single-player

Mall Tycoon 2 is a business simulation game, released in 2003. It is the sequel to Mall Tycoon, which allows the gamer to construct, expand and thereafter manage a shopping mall. It describes itself as the "Ultimate Mall Experience".

The Mall is visited by many types of customers, from children to seniors. There are also criminals among the clientele, who should be caught by the mall's security guards, and visits by dogs, which indicates a low level of hygiene and security. Staff can be hired to perform these duties, such as janitors for cleaning floors, but some of the hiring specifications require background checks, which cost money and affect bottom line.

The number of stores and the rating also affect the number of customers the mall gets. For every store, five people can fit into your shopping mall, and the higher the rating, the more people come to your mall. The game provides a wide variety of stores. They include electronics, clothing, food, entertainment, sports and services. Many of the more advanced stores need to be researched before they can be constructed. A player can build a mall atrium and arrange monthly events to promote the mall. Such promotions include car shows, a mall oasis and a circus. An "owner" also can build restaurants, movie theaters, bowling alleys and arcades to attract customers. As with hiring research, these new additions also must be researched and evaluated.

Floors may be changed easily and can be customised. Wood is the most common flooring medium, but other types include a puzzle floor for the kids' area and tiles for the food court. Adding floors to the mall is expensive, but is a necessary investment when all vacant areas have been occupied and expanded to their limits.

The Deluxe version of Mall Tycoon 2 adds certain scenarios, more customer types and other new features.

Mall Tycoon 3

Developer(s)Cat Daddy Games
Publisher(s)Global Star Software
EngineCat Daddy 2005 Dev Build 3124
Platform(s)Windows 2000/XP
Release
  • NA: October 26, 2005
Genre(s)Business simulation game
Mode(s)Single-player

Mall Tycoon 3 is a business simulation game, released in 2005. It was developed by Cat Daddy Games and published by Global Star Software. It is the third and final installment in the Mall Tycoon series, after the original Mall Tycoon and Mall Tycoon 2. The game was released to mixed reviews, getting lower than the previous games.

After selecting to play in sandbox mode, three starting locations are given. The player may build a mall in a neighborhood, a big city, or beside the beach. One may also choose to play a campaign game instead, and select from several different challenges.

Interior view of mall in Career Mode

Unlike in the previous installments of the series, Mall Tycoon 3 allows players to create customized stores. Over 40 types of stores of various types are available for placement in a pre-made store or a player may design their own, putting in everything from sale signs to the merchandise racks. Also customizable are the employees; their job capabilities and personal appearances are adjustable. In addition to regular in-line stores, there are also a handful of kiosks, such as one that sells cellular phones.

In the first two Mall Tycoon games, stores were created by placing the set store size, and then adding a store to them. In Mall Tycoon 3, the player paints the floor to create a store, allowing for them to be of any shape or size.

Mall Tycoon 3 features a total of 5 buildable mall levels.

References

  1. ↑ "Take-Two Interactive Ships "Mall Tycoon" for PC". February 6, 2002. https://worthplaying.com/article/2002/2/6/news/2237-mall-tycoon-has-shipped-to-stores/. 
  2. ↑ "Mall Tycoon Review - PC Games - CNET Reviews". CNET. http://reviews.cnet.com/pc-games/mall-tycoon-pc/4505-9696_7-30984195.html. Retrieved 20 October 2012. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Mall Tycoon Critic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150826010101/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/mall%2Dtycoon/critic%2Dreviews. Retrieved August 26, 2015. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 ((Editors of CGW)) (July 2004). "Sim Games that Suck". Computer Gaming World (240): 108. 
  5. ↑ "Mall Tycoon Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mall-tycoon-review/1900-2846594/. Retrieved 9 January 2018. 
  6. ↑ "Mall Tycoon Review on PC". 10 October 2004. Archived from the original on 10 October 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041010101244/http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19517.htm. Retrieved 9 January 2018. 
  7. ↑ Blevins, Tal (12 February 2002). "Mall Tycoon". http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/02/12/mall-tycoon. Retrieved 9 January 2018. 
  8. ↑ "CG Online-- Mall Tycoon Review". 3 August 2004. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040803145458/http://www.cgonline.com/reviews/malltycoon-01-r1.html. Retrieved 9 January 2018. 
  9. ↑ Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121017165955/http://www.edge-online.com/features/top-100-pc-games-21st-century/. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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