ST. LOUIS — The latest game in the famed RollerCoaster Tycoon video game series took a ride through St. Louis.
Maryland Heights-based independent video game developer Graphite Lab teamed up with Atari to develop RollerCoaster Tycoon Story. The new game, released by Atari and launched Jan. 30, is free, available for play on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices.
Founded in 2009, Graphite Lab also has worked with other major video game publishers including Cartoon Network, Disney and Hasbro. The studio also has created its own original game, Hive Jump. Atari, one of the most prominent firms in the video game industry, owns and operates more than 200 video game titles and franchises.
RollerCoaster Tycoon Story is a puzzle game with a single-player storyline. Through solving puzzles, players win tickets that allow them to make improvements to their theme park. Graphite Lab owner and Studio Director Matt Raithel said the storyline and puzzle formats are new elements to the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, which was created by video game developer Chris Sawyer and launched in 1999.
“We have to be very careful, very respectful and very clear about what kind of game we’re making when you introduce different mechanics like these,” Raithel said. "There is a lot of pressure, but to me, it’s a very exciting opportunity to find ways that we can create new ways to play that still pay respect to the charm and themes of the original.”
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