Famous Video Game Publisher Announces Development of Legal Weed Business Simulator
The so-called “Green Boom,” driven by the growth of the legal cannabis industry in the United States and Europe, has been going strong for several years and shows no signs of slowing down. People continue to invest huge amounts of money into various types of cannabis businesses. However, not every investor or entrepreneur profits directly from cultivating or distributing legal cannabis plants or products. Many companies make just as much money by servicing the needs of cannabis production or by providing the new industry with various services and related products.
In addition to networks distributing branded cannabis strains, the market has seen the emergence of companies developing electronic payment systems and social platforms for cannabis consumers. Their success is a major factor supporting the business boom associated with legalization. Perhaps noticing this trend, the well-known video game publisher and developer Devolver Digital has decided to join the business boom, recently announcing plans to release a game called Weedcraft Inc., dedicated to the daily life of a legal cannabis entrepreneur.
A Game About the Legal Cannabis Business
The first teaser for Devolver Digital’s new project was released online on Monday. Naturally, the video features many celebrities who support the legalization of recreational cannabis, from Seth Rogen to Elon Musk, who recently made headlines by smoking a joint during a podcast with Joe Rogan.
Although the teaser doesn’t reveal many details about the upcoming cannabis business simulator, the studio has posted a brief synopsis of the game on its website:
“Weedcraft Inc. explores the business of producing, breeding, and selling weed in America, delving deep into the cultural, financial, and political aspects of the country’s complex relationship with this controversial plant,” says the Devolver website. “Players will manage and allocate money and production resources to build a stable and growing network for producing and distributing cannabis. Cultivate new plant strains with different properties; conquer segments of the medical or recreational market in specific regions; hire and train a staff of professional growers and cannabis sommeliers; lobby for your interests and collaborate with activists; outmaneuver competitors and become the biggest player in the legal cannabis market.”
In other words, Weedcraft Inc. will be a business simulator with significant micromanagement elements, similar to the popular Tycoon game series. However, instead of building a transport company or amusement park, players will be building a gradually expanding cannabis business empire.
Regardless, the project’s concept and theme have already attracted public attention, opening the door for more cannabis-themed games in the future. The game is expected to be released for PC around mid-2019.
Not the First, But a Promising Project
Although a simulator with a style similar to Weedcraft has already appeared on mobile phones under the name Hempire, Devolver’s new project promises to offer players a much deeper economic development system for their virtual cannabis business, covering all industry sectors—from growing and breeding plants to distribution and marketing.
Additionally, the new game will feature a story mode, allowing the entrepreneur protagonist to “save” their home region from corruption and street gangs, gradually leading it toward legalization.
In any case, even though Weedcraft is not the first cannabis-themed game, a project like this from a well-known studio could be a new step in fighting the stigma that still surrounds the cannabis plant, its culture, and the legal businesses involved in its distribution.