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This article is a part of MCV/DEVELOP’s Unsigned, bringing a spotlight to unsigned indie games in partnership with Unity.
The Architect: Paris is a construction game where you can turn the capital of France into a medieval looking city or a futuristic one. Build a business district surrounded by parks, create gigantic plazas worthy of the greatest soviet cities, imagine neighborhoods where historical architecture blends in with the most modern designs.
Developer: ENODO GAMES
Location: Paris, France
Team size: 19 persons full time: 8 devs, 4 artists, 1 UI designer, 2 level designers + 4 management & administration
Progress: Game released in early access on Feb 26th. Early access scheduled until end of 2021
Contact details: raphael@enodo.games
Tell us about your game and why you decided to develop it?
The Architect: Paris was imagined and designed by a team of city builders fans who wanted to offer their own approach to the genre. An approach more oriented towards construction and architecture and less towards management, in a real, existing city replicated with the highest possible level of graphics and fidelity to the original.
Who do you think the audience is?
Our target audience is people who play traditional city building games with management options deactivated as well as more casual players looking for a relaxing moment of pure creativity with little to no pressure to achieve goals.
What experience does the team have?
CEO and creative director Jean-Baptiste Reynes first prototyped the game with a handful of collaborators from mother company Enodo (specialized in real time 3D modeling of large urban projects). All other collaborators were hired along the way, as financial partners were joining the project. It is the team’s very first game even if several « serious game » type of projects have been realized in the past.
Why did you decide to use Unity to create this game?
The game was first developed under Cryengine but the ambitious scale of the project (replicating a 100km² city) required such a large number of systems that data-oriented development was chosen over object-oriented. Unity DOTS was – and has proven, since, to be – the best option.
How long will it likely take to complete?
Project development started in late 2017 and so the answer would be a little over 3 years. Early access is scheduled to last until the end of 2021 but could be extended, depending on public reaction and players’ enthusiasm.
What kind of support are you looking for?
Marketing & PR are our top priorities as well as development funding to achieve all the goals we have set to the project. In that regard, 500k€ would allow for early access completion. Since the launch, many players have expressed their will to see the game grow bigger and include management. A larger budget would be needed to achieve this goal and could be discussed with potential longer-term partners.
