Trash Tycoon’s blueprint for tycoon game success

The simulation genre is booming, offering players an array of engaging entrepreneurial experiences across diverse subgenres, each with its own unique challenge. For example, in the idle resource management subgenre, players focus on expanding their venture with limited resources.

 In contrast, in the tycoon subgenre, players aim to achieve milestones quickly to grow their business empires and reap rewards within the game. Our game, Trash Tycoon, illustrates this perfectly. Players are challenged to build a successful trash empire by passing various quests and challenges within a swift time frame. 

Here’s what we can learn from their success.

1. Create missions and quests with clearly defined goals

In tycoon games, captivating missions and quests are front and center of the fun. But these missions need to have clear objectives communicated within the experience in order for players to connect them with the goals of the game and become a successful CEO of their own thriving business.

For example, In Trash Tycoon, the player has a goal to clean the city and by doing so, expanding their trash collection empire. One way they can do this is by completing missions such as collecting garbage and dropping it off in the dump. Trash Tycoon has an extensive and elaborate FTUE to onboard players and ensure they understand these mechanics. This sets players up for success and gets them engaged from the get-go.

Check it out how they do it below:

2. Balance between challenges and gratification

Playing games without a challenge is like eating food without any spices–it’s just plain boring. That’s why it’s important to bake challenges into tycoon games, and do so strategically. Challenges should ramp up overtime so players can master the gameplay without losing interest in the game. 

To give them the pulse of dopamine they crave, always make the player feel that they are progressing by providing them with milestones and celebrating small wins. This can be done through in-game prizes or simply by creating satisfying moments (such as audio or visual features) that make them feel they’re winning. This balance between challenge and gratification will get your players hooked and encourage them to keep playing.

In Trash Tycoon,  players find satisfaction in completing tasks or missions that lead to valuable upgrades, helping them move forward in the game. For example, reaching level 50 unlocks a fully upgraded factory or truck, which serves as a major motivator. This milestone not only makes further progress easier but also highlights the game's balance between challenge and reward, boosting player enjoyment and engagement.

3. Ingrain passive income into core features

Earning passive income is the dream for just about everyone. And tycoon games give players a taste of this amazing reality. In fact one element that sets tycoon games apart from other simulation games is that the player’s empire is still operating efficiently and making them a profit while they’re offline going about their day. 

For example, in Trash Tycoon, the player starts by managing resources, and then is given the challenge to upgrade their factories. This enables them to earn passive income through their factories, encouraging them to continue upgrading again and again. 

4. Blend monetization into the player's experience

Since time is money in tycoon games, creating boosters that accelerate the player’s progression is an ideal way to blend monetization naturally within the game. 

For example, in order to speed up progression in Trash Tycoon, hiring managers that will expand the player’s empire is essential. To monetize from this need, the  game provides the option to hire a ‘marketing genius’, ‘Mr. Dump’, or ‘Mr. Compost’  within the core gameplay.  The player faces tension about which option will be best, incentivizing them to use RVs or gems (the game’s currency) to give them more variety.

In addition to this, pressure is another great way to monetize players. Oftentimes, within a tycoon game, players will need to wait until the next mission in order to earn rewards or expand their venture. Trash Tycoon enables the players to skip this timer and start missions ahead of time using gems. 

Making monetization an organic part of the game and taking advantage of the player’s desire to succeed has helped Trash Tycoon achieve a mindblowing 45% IAP revenue share, an incredible accomplishment for the Funcell studio.

Ready to create your own tycoon hit?

Enable your players to become the CEO of an empire without ever leaving their couch. Tycoon games provide the unmatched experience of creating a thriving business venture and earning passive income as a result. It’s fun, it’s motivating, and it has a huge potential for monetization.And now that you’ve learned our top tips, it’s time to apply your learnings–start creating your own tycoon hit now!