Airline Tycoon

Airline Tycoon

Company type	Video game series
Industry	Video games
Founded	August 1998 (1998-08)
Founder	Spellbound Entertainment
Products	Airline Tycoon (1998), Airline Tycoon First Class (2001), Airline Tycoon Evolution (2002), Airline Tycoon Deluxe (2003), Airline Tycoon 2 (2011)
Parent	Spellbound Entertainment

Airline Tycoon is a business simulation game created by Spellbound Entertainment with design led by Armin Gessert. Initially published by Infogrames Deutschland, subsequent editions were distributed through various publishers such as Monte Cristo and RuneSoft. The original release debuted on Windows in August 1998, followed by expanded versions—First Class (2001), Evolution (2002), and Deluxe (2003)—which extended compatibility to platforms including Linux, Mac OS X, MorphOS, ZETA, iOS, and Android.

Players are tasked with running an airline company, skillfully managing revenues and expenditures to rise as a dominant figure in the aviation business.

Gameplay

In Airline Tycoon, participants manage airline operations while competing against three other tycoon rivals: Tina Cortez of Sunshine Airways, Siggi Sorglos representing Falcon Lines, Igor Tuppolevsky from Phoenix Travel, and Mario Zucchero of Honey Airlines.

Primary responsibilities involve aircraft upkeep, outfitting planes to satisfy customer demands, purchasing new airplanes either from the premium Airplane Agency or more budget-friendly options offered by Mr. Schlauberger at the museum, and obtaining bank financing when needed. Additional operational tasks include staff management, scheduling flights, sourcing fuel, and participating in meetings with airport managers. Players may also employ tactics of strategic sabotage against competitors.

The game is known for its lively and comedic visual style that adds personality to the tycoons and enriches player experience. Its multiplayer mode accommodates up to four players via network connection, with the ability to save progress for longer play sessions.

Releases

Airline Tycoon originally launched in August 1998 in Germany through Infogrames Deutschland. While there was no official English translation, an English demo was circulated online and included with magazines. The game also saw a release in Poland on September 11, 1999. That year, a standalone expansion titled Airline Tycoon First Class was released in Germany, initially only available in German.

In 2001, Monte Cristo introduced the first English-language version of the franchise with Airline Tycoon First Class in both the United States and United Kingdom. The packaging omitted the "First Class" subtitle though it remained visible within the game itself. This edition featured ten additional missions, multiplayer support for up to four players, new MIDI soundtrack additions, cargo transport capabilities, among other enhancements.

Monte Cristo followed up in 2002 with Airline Tycoon Evolution, which brought ten fresh missions, aircraft customization with online sharing options, introduction of security agents for planes, and five new sabotage methods.

In 2003, Spellbound Entertainment released Airline Tycoon Deluxe, which combined all prior content along with twenty new airports and remote cargo acceptance functionality. Initially issued as a limited run of 5,000 copies exclusive to Germany, it was later localized for Linux, Mac OS X, and ZETA by RuneSoft between 2005 and 2006 in English, German, and French versions.

The digital re-release of Airline Tycoon Deluxe occurred on gog.com in March 2015. This edition included access to its source code under a "source available" license permitting non-commercial usage, appealing to both fans and developers alike.

Airline Tycoon 2

The follow-up title, Airline Tycoon 2, was created by Spellbound and launched by Kalypso Media in October 2011. In 2012, two downloadable content packs were introduced: the Honey Airlines DLC, which brought a fresh character, a new airline, two campaign missions, and a Cargo airport section; and the Falcon Lines DLC, which included an additional character and airline, two new missions, the Last-Minute Counter airport feature, as well as the option to establish global branch offices.

Reception

By 2001, global sales of Airline Tycoon had surpassed 150,000 copies. An IGN evaluation awarded it a score of 7.9 out of 10. Conversely, Airline Tycoon 2 achieved a relatively low Metacritic rating of 57 out of 100, based on four critic reviews.

External links

• Archived official site for Airline Tycoon Evolution
• Archived official page for Airline Tycoon 2