The video game industry is filled with interesting stories about titles that didn’t have any kind of expectations but have managed to reach exceptional heights of popularity. One of these stories revolves around a franchise called “Farming Simulator”. The first game was developed back in 2009 and it was a project of two independent developers, Stefan Geiger and Christian Ammann.
These two developers have done all the aspects of the game like scenario, graphics, engine, and sound. According to these two, fine gentlemen, this was an enthusiastic project because they were unemployed at the time and they didn’t have a publisher behind them. The story gets even more interesting if you know that these two are coming from Switzerland. In this country, there are no developing or publishing companies that operate in the video game industry.
The development team is relatively small, which is a surprise since FS sells millions of copies every year. However, we don’t perceive the size of the team as a setback. The team cohesion is obviously at a high level. As we’ve said, this journey has started back in 2009 and is still ongoing in 2021. The next installment in the franchise will be called “Farming Simulator 22”. In case you are interested in taking a look at what is known about this title, be sure to take a look at farmingsimulator2022.com.
Now, let’s take a look at the history of this franchise and what we can expect in the future.
What Makes This Game So Popular?
We all know that there are all sorts of titles that come out every year. Sure, you are aware of the fact that the video game industry is one of the most innovative in the world. We can see that some of the trends we are using in our everyday lives have started in this industry. The same is predicted about artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Since there are so many titles to choose from, it can be quite overwhelming sometimes.
That’s why many people have found an interest in returning to basics, agriculture, and these titles have proven themselves as the most prominent ones with this subject. While it may look that this topic doesn’t have a popular spot within the industry, “Farming Simulator” has proved all of these opinions wrong. If you take at official statistics, you will see that “Farming Simulator 19” has been sold in more than two million copies all over the world. At the same time, this is the best-selling title in the franchise.
FS games have all this kind of game needs to have. We are talking about a wide array of different elements present in them. The best of all things is that all of these aspects are realistic, meaning, you can find all of them in real-life farming. From buying equipment, managing your finances, looking out for the weather, etc. It truly represents quite an experience anyone interested in this topic shouldn’t avoid. The options are practically endless, and you will be entertained as long as you want.
All the Platforms
As is the case with pretty much all the most popular titles out there, “Farming Simulator” has made versions for pretty much all the most popular platforms. You can enjoy these titles on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Since it has been released for all of these platforms, it’s no wonder that the complete series sold slightly above 25 million copies over in the last decade.
That alone should say how popular it is. Geography and demography are saying that there is no particular sort of gamers interested in it. Pretty much everyone loves this game. At some point in time, the developers saw the potential in making a mobile version of “Farming Simulator”. Over the years, the mobile device version was downloaded more than 90 million times.
The League
Since the franchise has become so popular, it is not a surprise to see why the publisher is interested in expanding it to reach a much wider audience. One of the first steps towards achieving that goal is the formation of the FSL, or “Farming Simulator League” a couple of years ago. The prize pool was exceptionally high and somewhat unexpected for the first season. It amounted to more than $200,000.
The idea behind the tournament was to invite teams from all over the globe who would face other teams in head-to-head multiplayer mode. Once again, we would like to say that this topic maybe doesn’t look like the material for creating a tournament out of it. However, we can see that the idea was a success and that the plans for a new tournament were postponed because of the global pandemic of COVID-19 that struck the world in 2020.
When We Can Expect a New Installment?
Since 2009, we have a new installment in the franchise practically every year. The next one people are expecting “Farming Simulator 2023”. According to what we can hear from the development team and some other sources, this will be the best title yet. Many different features will be included in a game. From what we’ve been able to gather online, the game is set to be released in November 2021.
As you can see, the pattern was used from sports games like NBA, FIFA, and Pro Evolution Soccer. The installments are released every year. Sure, this pattern has proved itself as a successful one more than once. Therefore, it’s no surprise that developers and publishers of this franchise have opted for it. Without any doubt, players from all over the world are ecstatic because of the appearance of a new installment. We will just have to wait and see how good it will turn out to be.
The Conclusion
As we’ve said “Farming Simulator 22” is about to be released in November 2021. Here, you can take a look at all the most significant information on what you can expect from the next game and the background of the franchise. We are sure you will find it interesting.
