Civ IV lead designer’s Offworld Trading Company hits Early Access

Space Truckers

Mohawk Games, formed by Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson, released its first title on Steam Early Access today. Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy game that focuses on economic might as opposed to giant armies and combat. It takes place in a future in which the Earth has been drained of resources and corporations have staked claim on the most resource-rich areas of the asteroid belt.

As a pioneer, you’ll be heading to Mars, the last place that hasn’t been claimed or picked clean. The foundation of the game is the real-time market which you’ll have to monitor to sell your goods at a profit and buy the things to keep your colony alive. Your goal, through hard work and a little help from hackers and pirates, is to dominate the Martian economy.

The Early Access version ($35.99) has a good deal of features already. You can access multiplayer and play head-to-head or free-for-all matches. The dynamic campaign is available, which will react accordingly to your actions giving a different outcome every game. The “advanced A.I.” is also implemented, and it promises to be a formidable foe.

It’s like an advanced version of Gazillionaire.