New PC Game Is A Surprisingly Detailed Weed Selling Simulator

Devolver Digital and developer Vile Monarch (the studio behind Oh...Sir: The Insult Simulator) have announced Weedcraft Inc., a new simulation game coming to PC via Steam in 2019. Billed as "the burgeoning legal pot industry’s first fully fledged tycoon game," Weedcraft Inc. allows players to cultivate their own weed empire, from growing different strains of bud to distributing it and, ultimately, trying to change the country's perception of the plant.

As Devolver says, Weedcraft Inc. "explores the business of producing, breeding, and selling weed in America, delving deep into the financial, political and cultural aspects of the country's complex relationship with this troublesome and promising plant." The game puts players in the role of a business school dropout whose father recently passed away. When you return home, you learn that your brother, Clyde, had been growing marijuana for your father in your basement, and the two of you partner up to turn his supply into a business.

The actual process of growing and selling the weed is simple, but the game gradually introduces more layers of complexity as you progress. When you first begin, you'll only have a small workspace and one strain of weed, which you'll need to plant, water, and trim until you can harvest and sell it. As you amass more money, you'll be able to expand your basement to grow more strains at once. You'll also need to purchase new fixtures for your basement, such as an air filter and better light bulbs, and even tinker with the chemical balance of the soil you use in order to grow higher quality strains.

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As your business expands, you'll be able to hire other characters to help you grow and sell your supply. Your activities will also earn the attention of rival dealers, who'll move into town and compete for your clientele. These rivals will typically sell a strain of weed that you don't have, and you'll need to decide the best approach to dealing with them; for instance, you can choose to befriend them or send one of your employees to steal their signature strain. Depending on your actions, your Shady or Decent meter will increase, which in turn will unlock new perks related to that branch of the skill tree.

Your activities will also attract the attention of the police, who'll periodically barge into your basement and even seize your supply if you're running your business flagrantly. Vile Monarch also says that you'll even be able to set up meetings with senators and other influential politicians when your profile grows, and you'll be able to work together to change or implement new marijuana laws.

Devolver hasn't announced a release date yet for Weedcraft Inc. In the meantime, you can see the game's announcement trailer and a handful of screenshots of the title above.