It does not really feel that lengthy since we final spoke to the staff at Two Point Studios.
In reality, it was two years in the past, on the eve of the launch of its second sport: Two Point Campus. The simulation title had simply suffered a slight delay, and one in every of the causes the studio cited for the date shift was as a result of the sport had been made virtually totally throughout lockdown.
At the time, founders Mark Webley and Gary Carr stated that it wasn’t till the finish of growth that they seen a number of points. The type of points, they prompt, that will have been picked up if the staff had been working in the similar house. This can be a studio that is used to trying over one another’s shoulders, recognizing points with how their colleagues are enjoying the sport, or taking a quick second to spotlight a tiny bug. For the overwhelming majority of Two Point Campus’ growth, that merely did not occur.
Two years on, and Two Point Studios seems related to the one we spoke to again then. The identical leaders, the similar staff measurement (round 40 individuals) and so they’re nonetheless making administration sim titles set in the fictional Two Point County. The corporate’s subsequent sport, due in February subsequent 12 months, known as Two Point Museum.
But whereas Campus was made virtually totally remotely, Museum has been made virtually totally in-office.
“It was a a lot simpler growth course of this time,” explains government producer Jo Koehler.
“Final time we spoke, we talked about Covid and the impact that had on the manufacturing of Two Point Campus. We went into full manufacturing about the week of the lockdowns. We thought it could be a month at residence then we would again, however that wasn’t to be. With Museum, we’re again in the office 4 days every week for most individuals. And having that forwards and backwards, face-to-face has been actually implausible.”
Design director Ben Huskins provides: “These little ad-hoc chats… once we are at residence, somebody would message you on Slack and also you may not spot that for an hour, and so they solely needed a two minute chat. That type of factor is a lot simpler in the office.”
Koehler once more: “All of us say the magic occurs once you’re all in the similar place. Having all these playthroughs in the office… it has been actually good.”
The flexibility to function in-person has additionally been essential in Two Point Studios’ efforts to make its video games approachable.
Every of the Two Point video games are standalone. 2018’s Two Point Hospital, 2022’s Two Point Campus and 2025’s Two Point Museum characteristic some cross-over parts and characters (I’m advised there is a fan group constructed round in-game radio DJ Sir Nigel Bickleworth), however they’re distinctly their very own experiences. Two Point Campus, for instance, centered on constructing a relationship with the college students in the sport, whereas the upcoming Two Point Museum is much less about the characters and extra about occurring adventures to discover displays to show.
And every sport has its personal followers. There are those who transfer from game-to-game, however Huskins and Koehler inform us that there are lots who are available for the particular expertise of operating a hospital, or establishing a college. Meaning, the staff has to method every sport as if its viewers has by no means performed one earlier than.
And simply typically, Two Point Studios is pleased with the indisputable fact that its video games seem welcoming. Its simplistic however characterful visible design, the chunky UI… it is all a part of the firm’s deal with ensuring its video games should not off-putting to extra informal customers.
“We spend a whole lot of time interested by the onboarding course of for the sport, and ease individuals in,” Huskins tells us.
“And that is not nearly [existing] Two Point gamers vs new gamers, however that is additionally us making an attempt to cope with hardcore administration gamers and people who desire a extra stress-free expertise and may really feel overwhelmed loading up a administration sim. That may be a actual pillar of our studio, which is having that depth to the sport, however making an attempt to make it as accessible and approachable as attainable. We spend a whole lot of time interested by how we regularly introduce these options. Now we have it so the sport nonetheless works with the base set of options, however then we layer issues on.”
And the key to that’s testing, watching, tweaking – all of that are simpler to do when you possibly can see individuals enjoying the sport, whether or not that is in an office and even at occasions.
“We do a whole lot of iteration on issues like that,” Koehler explains. “We do a whole lot of playtesting as issues go alongside. And occasions like Gamescom, it is nice to look over individuals’s shoulders and see how they play.”
“With Two Point Museum, we’re again in the office 4 days every week for most individuals”
Jo Koehler, Two Point Studios
Two Point Museum continues the studio’s penchant for creating administration sims which are primarily based on on a regular basis ideas, however with an added layer of humour and fantasy on prime. In the case of Museum, you may uncover a caveman in a block of ice and put it on show, however when you’re not cautious, the ice might soften and the caveman would escape.
“It is the concept that it is grounded in actuality to an extent, nevertheless it permits us to put our personal twist on it, and our personal type of humour on it as effectively,” Huskins explains.
I’ve at all times totally loved the Two Point video games, and my playthrough with Museum left me with little doubt that the collection’ signature type, humour and high quality stay intact. The place I used to be just a little dissatisfied was to see the absence of a Nintendo Swap model (which is how I performed the first two video games). The Swap model of Campus was a precedence for Two Point Studios due to how profitable Hospital had been on the platform. So why skip it this time round?
“With every sport, we have pushed the tech every time,” Huskins tells us. “And there is a few issues that we’re doing this time like the lightning results [for the exhibits]. And we have additionally bought numerous depth to every museum, which provides you causes to come again to them. Whereas beforehand, you’ll get three stars [on your creation] and also you felt such as you’d transfer on. Whereas, with this sport you possibly can play the museum for for much longer, so you possibly can find yourself with a lot of issues occurring and many characters.”
Huskins did recommend extra platforms might come up down the line – a touch, maybe, {that a} Swap 2 model can be on the playing cards.
For now, the staff has its fingers full, not simply with Museum, nevertheless it has vibrant communities nonetheless enjoying Hospital and Campus, too.
“[Expanding the universe] undoubtedly impacts our focus when it comes to the place we do updates,” admits Huskins. “We do not have as many individuals centered on a selected sport.”
Koehler cuts in: “Now we have to assume fairly fastidiously about ensuring we’re doing the proper issues. So doing the issues the participant desires. So once we do the post-release roadmaps, we hear very intently to the group.”
Huskin concludes: “Now we have a listing for each sport of the high quality of life updates we would like to do, right here is a few suggestions from the group, any bugs we have not been in a position to repair… after which it is only a case of prioritising it when it comes to what will get the focus.
“For now, we’re managing it, and positively being again in the office has helped us with that.”