Offworld Trading Company
Economic warfare on Mars where supply and demand decide victory.
Offworld Trading Company is a real-time strategy tycoon game from Mohawk Games and Stardock, released for Windows and OS X in April 2016. Set on Mars, the game replaces direct military combat with economic warfare, including hostile takeovers, sabotage, and market manipulation. Players choose one of four offworld trading companies after seeing the map, allowing them to adapt their strategy. Once landed, they build a headquarters and place resource extractors on adjacent hexes.
The game features thirteen resources. Water, aluminum, iron, silicon, and carbon are extracted from hexes containing them. Power plants generate energy, with limitations based on type, to run buildings. Steel mills turn iron into steel; greenhouse farms produce food from water; hydrolysis reactors split water into oxygen and fuel; glass kilns combine oxygen and silicon; electronics factories use silicon, carbon, and aluminum; chemical refineries process carbon and fuel; and money is earned by selling resource stockpiles.
Supply and demand shift constantly. A player buying large amounts of glass for expansion might find a rival building glass kilns to profit from that demand. More direct tactics are available through the black market, where players can purchase underground nukes to destroy resource pockets or mutinies to redirect a rival’s wealth. Each black market purchase raises its price, giving opponents a chance to prepare a defense, typically a goon squad that protects a structure and can steal the sabotage.
The goal is to buy a majority stake in every company. A player who loses majority stock in their own company or is hit by a costly hostile takeover is eliminated, though they can choose to watch. Players receive a warning when an opponent can afford to buy them out (the opponent is not told), creating tense, last-minute races for cash.
Development began with an early access release, and the full game launched on April 28, 2016. The score was composed by Christopher Tin. Reception was generally favorable, according to Metacritic.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Offworld Trading Company
- Developer
- Mohawk Games
- Publisher
- Stardock
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Released
- April 28, 2016
- Genre
- Real-time strategy
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Offworld Trading Company is set on Mars, where players control one of four offworld trading companies. Players choose their faction after viewing the map, allowing them to adapt their strategy to the available resources. The game features 13 resources, including water, aluminum, iron, silicon, carbon, power, steel, food, oxygen, fuel, glass, electronics, chemicals, and money. Supply and demand fluctuate constantly; for example, if a player buys large amounts of glass for expansion, rivals can profit by building glass kilns. The black market offers direct sabotage options such as underground nukes that destroy resource pockets or mutinies that divert a rival's wealth, but each purchase raises the price, giving opponents a chance to prepare defenses like goon squads that can steal sabotage actions. The goal is to buy a majority stake in every company; losing majority stockholdership or being subjected to a hostile takeover eliminates a player, who may then watch as an observer. Players are warned when an opponent earns enough money to buy them out, but the opposing player is not alerted, creating tense races to earn money.
Reader's Guide
Offworld Trading Company was released via early access before its full launch on April 28, 2016, for Windows and OS X. The game received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. Its score was written by Christopher Tin. The game is notable for replacing traditional combat with economic warfare, emphasizing resource extraction, production chains, and market dynamics. Players must balance building resource extractors, power plants, and factories while monitoring supply and demand to profit from rivals' needs. The black market adds a layer of indirect conflict, allowing players to sabotage opponents or steal their wealth, though rising prices and defensive goon squads create strategic counterplay. The elimination condition—losing majority stockholdership or facing a hostile takeover—reinforces the financial focus, making stock market manipulation a core mechanic.
Did You Know?
- Players can purchase underground nukes from the black market to wipe out resource pockets.
- A goon squad protects a single structure from most sabotage actions and can steal the sabotage for the defender.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Offworld Trading Company?
It is a real-time strategy and tycoon hybrid set on Mars, developed by Mohawk Games and published by Stardock in April 2016. Rather than commanding armies, players compete through economic warfare—hostile takeovers, sabotage, and market manipulation—to dominate the Martian resource economy.
How do you actually win in Offworld Trading Company?
Victory is determined by controlling supply and demand across thirteen resources, not by destroying an opponent's base. You place extractors on hexes, trade with rivals, and leverage your chosen company's unique abilities to outmaneuver them economically.
What makes Offworld Trading Company different from a typical RTS?
The game strips out direct military combat entirely and replaces it with pure economic strategy. A key design twist is that players see the full map before selecting one of four trading companies, so you can tailor your approach to the specific resource layout you are dealt.
Who composed the music for Offworld Trading Company?
Christopher Tin, already well known for his Civilization IV and other strategy-game scores, composed the soundtrack for this title.
What platforms can I play Offworld Trading Company on?
The game shipped for Microsoft Windows and OS X on April 28, 2016. No console or mobile ports were released.
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