SomaSim
SomaSim is a Chicago-based independent indie game studio founded in 2013 that develops simulation and management tycoon games for PC, console, and mobile, targeting simulation enthusiasts through its proprietary production-rules engine and a portfolio including 1849, Project Highrise, City of Gangsters, and Rise of Industry 2.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What SomaSim does
SomaSim is an independent, privately-held indie game studio founded in 2013 in Chicago, Illinois, that develops and publishes simulation and management tycoon video games. It was founded by Robert Zubek, a computer scientist with prior AAA experience at Zynga, EA/Maxis, and Three Rings Design, and Matthew Viglione, who leads game design and art direction. The studio's portfolio consists of four core franchises — 1849 (California Gold Rush city builder, 2014), Project Highrise (modern skyscraper management sim, 2016), City of Gangsters (Prohibition-era mafia management, 2021), and Rise of Industry 2 (1980s industrial USA tycoon, 2025) — each accompanied by a steady cadence of paid DLC and themed content packs that extend product lifecycle and per-title revenue.
SomaSim's core technology is a proprietary production rules simulation engine in which game units carry state and behavior defined in JSON files loaded at startup. The engine drives resource conversion chains, NPC pathfinding via A*, procedural generation of cities and 50-year simulated histories, and complex building/economy simulations. It also exposes optional modding hooks, including an experimental embedded Mono C# scripting layer, enabling community-authored content without recompilation. The studio reports approximately 51-100 employees, with a small named core team supplemented by composer and contractor relationships.
The business model is product-led and consumer-facing. SomaSim sells one-time-purchase licenses at $29.99 on PC (Steam, Epic, GOG, Humble) and console (PS4, Xbox One, Switch via partner Kalypso Media), with tablet editions priced at $3.99 on iOS and Android. Revenue is diversified across base game sales, paid DLC/expansions (e.g., Atlantic City, Bourbon Bootlegging, Shadow Government, Criminal Record, Las Vegas), and themed content packs (Miami Malls, Tokyo Towers, London Life, Brilliant Berlin). Publishing partnerships with Kasedo Games (Rise of Industry 2 and prior City of Gangsters) and Kalypso Media (Project Highrise console ports) handle marketing and distribution while SomaSim retains creative control. The company targets simulation game enthusiasts, historical simulation fans, and city-building gamers globally, with no named enterprise customers and no disclosed external funding.
SomaSim firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SomaSim
- Legal name
- SomaSim, LLC
- Website
- https://somasim.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- SomaSim is a Chicago-based independent indie game studio founded in 2013 that develops simulation and management tycoon games for PC, console, and mobile, targeting simulation enthusiasts through its proprietary production-rules engine and a portfolio including 1849, Project Highrise, City of Gangsters, and Rise of Industry 2.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where SomaSim is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SomaSim business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Base Game Sales: One-time purchase sales of core games (City of Gangsters, Project Highrise, 1849, Rise of Industry 2) through digital storefronts and console platforms. Games priced at $29.99 for standard editions.
- DLC and Expansion Packs: Paid downloadable content adding new maps (Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Las Vegas), gameplay mechanics (gambling, politics), outfit content packs, and new building types. Examples: Bourbon Bootlegging, Shadow Government, Criminal Record, Las Vegas expansion.
- Content Packs: Smaller themed content packs adding cosmetic and functional items: Miami Malls, Tokyo Towers, London Life, Brilliant Berlin. Also includes deluxe editions bundling DLC with base game.
- Platform-Specific Versions: Separate pricing for tablet editions ($3.99/£3.99/€4.49) and console Architect's Edition bundles. Different pricing tiers across iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch platforms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Standard PC/Console Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Tablet Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Deluxe Edition (City of Gangsters) |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Deluxe Edition (Rise of Industry 2) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels7 records
SomaSim product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SomaSim is an independent indie game studio that develops and publishes simulation and management tycoon video games for PC, console, and tablet platforms. Its portfolio of core titles (1849, Project Highrise, City of Gangsters, Rise of Industry 2) and their associated expansion/content packs centers on historically-themed economic, production-chain, and city/building management gameplay built on a proprietary production-rules simulation engine.
Product overview
SomaSim is an indie game studio that makes simulation games. Their portfolio consists of four main game franchises: Rise of Industry 2 (industrial tycoon set in 1980s USA), City of Gangsters (Prohibition-era mafia management), Project Highrise (skyscraper management simulation), and 1849 (California Gold Rush city builder). The company releases core games with accompanying expansion packs and content packs that add new maps, gameplay mechanics, and features. Most games are available on PC platforms (Steam, GOG, Epic) with some also released on console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch) and mobile (iOS, Android).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rise of Industry 2 Industry-building tycoon simulation game set in 1980s USA. Players build manufacturing powerhouses, optimize production chains, import/export goods globally, research technologies, and cultivate business contacts to dominate the industrial landscape.
- City of Gangsters Mafia management tycoon game set during Prohibition in Chicago and other US cities. Players start a criminal operation from nothing and grow it into a money machine by building speakeasies, managing production chains, smuggling goods, and eliminating competition.
- City of Gangsters: Shadow Government Expansion pack for City of Gangsters that adds political gameplay mechanics. Players can finance election campaigns, control city politicians, manipulate laws, and unlock a new New York map.
- City of Gangsters: Criminal Record DLC for City of Gangsters featuring a Philadelphia map with unique starting condition, Roles and Schemes gameplay systems, an organization chart, and a 'Your Office' memento collection feature.
- City of Gangsters: Atlantic City Expansion pack for City of Gangsters set in Atlantic City with gambling mechanics including casinos, slot machines, poker, roulette, new alcohol types, vehicle types, and gambling operations.
- City of Gangsters: Bourbon Bootlegging DLC for City of Gangsters featuring the Cincinnati map with bourbon production and whiskey empire gameplay.
- City of Gangsters Outfit Content Packs Five ethnic outfit content packs (English, Irish, German, Italian, Polish) that add visual updates, new game mechanics, production modules, legacy goals, and cultural activities to City of Gangsters.
- Project Highrise Deep simulation of modern skyscraper construction and management. Players coordinate building construction, manage tenants, handle economics, and invest in future development.
- Project Highrise: Las Vegas First expansion pack for Project Highrise featuring Las Vegas resort hotel management with casinos, hotels, events, shows, VIP guests, and entertainment-focused gameplay.
- Project Highrise Content Packs Multiple content packs for Project Highrise including Miami Malls (retail stores), Tokyo Towers (apartments), London Life (offices), and Brilliant Berlin (art and amenities).
- Project Highrise: Architect's Edition Console edition of Project Highrise for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch that bundles all original content plus the Las Vegas expansion and all content packs in a console-optimized package.
- Project Highrise Tablet Edition Tablet-optimized version of Project Highrise for iPad and Android tablets with a redesigned touch interface and tablet-specific campaign scenarios.
- 1849 City management game set during the California Gold Rush. Players build mining settlements, manage workers, and coordinate production and trade networks across mid-1800s California.
Companies that use SomaSim
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SomaSim technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
SomaSim partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Kasedo GamescoreKasedo Games is working with SomaSim on Rise of Industry 2. They handle publishing responsibilities while SomaSim maintains creative control over game development. This partnership extends their previous collaboration on City of Gangsters.
- Kalypso MediacoreKalypso Media partnered with SomaSim to bring Project Highrise to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The resulting Architect's Edition bundles all PC DLC content into a console-optimized package released in fall 2018.
- Kalypso MediacorePrevious partnership with Kasedo Games for publishing City of Gangsters. Kasedo Games handles marketing and distribution while SomaSim develops the games.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SomaSim competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Firaxis Games: US developer of Civilization and other strategy/management franchises, owned by Take-Two/2K. Comparable as a much larger, established simulation/strategy developer operating broadly in the same management-games category as SomaSim.
- Kalypso Media: German publisher/developer of Tropico and other simulation franchises including console versions of SomaSim's Project Highrise. Comparable as both a publishing partner and a broader simulation/strategy incumbent overlapping in the management-tycoon category.
Emerging players
- Kasedo Games: UK-based publisher of strategy and simulation titles including City of Gangsters, Rise of Industry 2, and Surviving Mars. Comparable as SomaSim's publishing partner on its two largest recent titles and as an emerging player in the management-simulation publishing category.
Direct peers
- Colossal Order: Finnish developer of Cities: Skylines and Cities: Skylines II, a city-building/management simulation franchise. Directly comparable as a specialist city-management simulation studio with a flagship franchise and expansion/DLC cadence.
- Limbic Entertainment: German developer of Tropico 6 and other strategy/management titles. Directly comparable as a mid-sized studio developing complex management simulations with historical/political themes similar to City of Gangsters.
- Paradox Interactive: Swedish publisher/developer of grand strategy and management simulation games including Cities: Skylines, Europa Universalis, and Stellaris. Directly comparable as a leading publisher-developer in the deep management/tycoon category where SomaSim competes.
- Haemimont Games: Bulgarian developer of Tropico 3–5 and Surviving Mars, both deep management/city-builder simulations. Directly comparable as a specialist simulation studio of similar size with a track record of historical/management themes.
- Ndemic Creations: UK indie developer of Plague Inc. and Rebel Inc., simulation-strategy titles with deep systems. Comparable as an independent, profitable studio operating in the simulation/strategy category with multi-platform reach.
- Two Point Studios: Developer of Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus, management simulation games with a distinctive humor and theming approach. Directly comparable as a mid-sized studio building tycoon/management titles published through larger partners (SEGA).
- Introversion Software: UK indie developer of Prison Architect, Uplink, and other management/strategy simulations. Directly comparable as an independent studio of similar scale focused on deep, systems-driven management simulations with multi-platform releases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SomaSim social profiles
Digital presenceSomaSim financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SomaSim leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
SomaSim funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SomaSim M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SomaSim
What does SomaSim do?
SomaSim is an independent indie game studio that develops and publishes simulation and management tycoon video games for PC, console, and tablet platforms. Its portfolio of core titles (1849, Project Highrise, City of Gangsters, Rise of Industry 2) and their associated expansion/content packs centers on historically-themed economic, production-chain, and city/building management gameplay built on a proprietary production-rules simulation engine.
Is SomaSim a public or private company?
SomaSim is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SomaSim founded?
SomaSim was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is SomaSim based?
SomaSim is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does SomaSim make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Base Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are DLC and Expansion Packs, content Packs and platform-Specific Versions.
Who are SomaSim's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Firaxis Games and Kalypso Media. Kasedo Games is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Colossal Order, Limbic Entertainment, Paradox Interactive, Haemimont Games, Ndemic Creations, Two Point Studios and Introversion Software.
Does SomaSim have an API?
No public API is recorded for SomaSim.