Have you ever wanted the logistics of Cities Skylines but without the nagging responsibility of being in the mayoral seat? Or perhaps wished that your job options in The Sims went beyond a single, basic career path? Big Ambitions is the game you’ve been dreaming of – a hustling and bustling business sim that lets you live out the dream of growing a small starting gig into a vast corporate empire dominating the streets of New York City. All that, and without any of the real-world moral complexities to worry about.
Big Ambitions has just hit 1.0 after more than three years in early access, and its 91% user review score on Steam is a testament to how successfully developer Hovgaard Games has delivered on its vision of a turbo-charged life sim where growth is the name of the game. Starting out with your first job, you can gradually begin opening multiple small businesses of your choice – small bodegas, supermarkets, liquor stores, flower shops, law firms, supermarkets, or even a fast-food chain.
Perhaps you’ll be satisfied with the simple life, just quietly running one store and keeping your customers happy, but I doubt it. The allure of the big time is strong, and that means taking out loans, renting bigger buildings, and implementing renovations. You’ll need staff to handle the increased workload, and an infrastructure network to transport your supplies and goods around the city.
As your empire grows, establish a headquarters with managers to take charge of logistics, HR, and so on. The sky’s the limit. Of course, you can also spend some of that hard-earned wealth on yourself. Stash it in investment funds. Buy yourself a dream penthouse in midtown and decorate it to your heart’s desire. Snag flashy sports cars to travel the streets in style, or head to the casino and bet it all on black.
With the 1.0 release, Hovgaard Games has introduced a seventh neighborhood, The Hamptons, comprising a residential area and a fancy retail strip. If you’re looking to get away from the rat race, you can snag a dream mansion out there, although you might find yourself neighbors with some of your biggest rivals. Then head to the Halcyon Fairway for a spot of golf, or the tennis courts to prove that you’re not just a winner on the finance sheets.
Banking has been overhauled with improvements to loans, investments, and taxes, and there’s a new Pricing Manager role that lets you employ someone to manage an entire neighborhood of stores in one go. Then there’s the option to hire a personal chauffeur, a new fast food delivery service, and the ability to play Brick Breaker on your home computer.
The results are already paying dividends. Since its launch this weekend, Big Ambitions has been gradually climbing up the Steam charts, snagging itself a new lifetime record of over 12,000 concurrent players, and it’s only trending upwards. The developer promises “a few more updates coming over the next several months,” and says this will then be followed by the first Big Ambitions DLC.
Big Ambitions 1.0 is out now on Steam. It’s currently 20% off thanks to a launch discount, so expect to pay $20.79 / £18.39 if you buy it by Friday September 4. Grab it right here and start building your way up the New York City ladder.
“From the very bottom of our hearts, we are grateful to you all,” Hovgaard Games writes of the launch. “Big Ambitions wouldn’t be here without you. You are an amazing community, and we appreciate your feedback as we move forward with patches, content updates, and DLC. Thank you for your support through this journey so far, and we hope you continue to be part of our future.”