Trailer

Free-to-Play Trailer

Cinematic Trailer


Gameplay

Prosperous Universe is a space economy MMO played entirely through a highly customizable user interface named APEX, which allows you to manage your own spacefaring company via web browser on any desktop computer.

To get you accustomed with the interface, APEX has issued learning materials that gradually introduce you to its rich feature set:

This game does not set any goals for you. You decide whether you want to be the richest CEO in the system, a respected political leader, a lone hermit farming a desolate planet, or an explorer scanning the fringes of the known universe. However, everything you do happens through the lens of managing a company with the need to turn a profit.

“I don’t play browser games”

Yet you have found your way here, and for good reasons! You will find that Prosperous Universe is all but a conventional browser game. Many of our players come from hardcore PC gaming, while some others haven’t played a video game in their life. Only a few of them seem to be playing other browser games.

The browser is a very capable gaming platform, available on pretty much every computer in the world. Achieving immersion is not a matter of high-definition graphics but of a plausible and consistent way of interacting with the game world. The APEX interface provides just that.

A single, player-driven universe

All players share the same, persistent universe. As a result, every single action bears the potential to have a lasting effect on the future of the game. Rather than having NPCs and scripted events shape the course of history, economic and political developments are purely driven by players.

At the heart of our vision lies the concept of a closed economic loop. There have been thousands of browser-based sci-fi strategy games before that emphasize military conflict. By contrast, Prosperous Universe is all about the economy and complex player-driven supply chains in which every material has to be either produced or purchased from other player-run companies.

Through its many intertwined features, Prosperous Universe also allows for meaningful, high-level meta game play like forging huge alliances, building lasting empires and waging trade wars by employing diplomacy, strategy and intrigue.

Play at your own pace

A game pairing a highly realistic economy with literal rocket science appears daunting to some. And indeed, mastering complex systems is part of what gets you ahead in Prosperous Universe. However, the ability of playing the game at your own pace is engraved in its core design. Your company’s success is not directly tied to your time investment. Unlike most browser games, Prosperous Universe pulls no tricks to lure its’ players back online when they’re currently trying to go about their busy lives:

No grind. No daily “special” offers. No looming threat of destruction by the hand of others in your absence. You play when you want to play.

No pay-to-win

You decide: Play for free forever with limited features or buy a subscription to become a Premium user. Prosperous Universe will always maintain this fair and simple monetization model in lieu of pay-to-win microtransactions. Gaining a paid advantage over other players would not only unfairly favor those with deeper pockets, it would also compromise the game’s realism. For instance, long waiting times are part of space travel, and no amount of real money is going to change physics.


Pricing

The game can be played for free! However, licensees using an APEX Trial license have to deal with a few restrictions on what their companies can do. Upgrading to PRO is possible at any time by purchasing any support tier (starting at 10 €). This crowdfunding-like system allows early adopters to help fund development and get some great perks in return. Each key will grant PRO access throughout the entire First Access phase, which started in December 2018.

Once First Access is over, the PRO license will be tied to a monthly subscription fee. (Some support tiers already contain PRO months for the post-release era!). We will always do our best to steer clear of pay-to-win and in-game purchases. Thank you for supporting us!


Roadmap

Make sure to keep an eye on this page as we will update it continuously.


Team

Coming from very different backgrounds, the team behind Prosperous Universe shares a common passion for hard science fiction and serious business simulation games.


Core Team

Martin Simons

Project Lead, Programming, Game Design

Martin actually holds a degree in logistics but decided early on that the shipping industry wasn't for him. There exists an undeniable passion for transport, though, leading him to create the browser-based airline management game AirlineSim in his teen years and running it to this day.

When not programming away on our server infrastructure or coming up with an AI for simulated populations, Martin takes care of all the business aspects of the project.


Michael Olp (molp)

Programming, Game Design

Michael's career started out in the finance sector and had him develop software for various banks. Then he decided this wasn't fun enough and took the plunge into self-employment, creating the mobile puzzle game Blockadillo.

Anything in Prosperous Universe that's 3D and/or is moving around has probably been built by Michi.


Fabian Fischer (Counterpoint)

Game Design

During his studies of computer science, Fabian decided to take a deep dive into game design and hasn't stopped ever since. Besides spending his professional life within the depths of game mechanisms and systems, he also regularly writes articles and runs a small board game company.

As game systems designer for Prosperous Universe, Fabian is primarily concerned with the rules of gameplay and how they affect the player experience.


Manoj Manduva (manumax)

UI & UX Design

Manoj discovered that his passion lies in computer graphics, design and film making early on. He then started a design studio and worked with social activists, start-ups and film makers before pursuing masters in Interaction Design. Since then, he worked with diverse teams designing software products and interfaces for automobiles. His interest in electric vehicles and space research landed him in Germany and eventually in the Prosperous Universe team.

Away from the screen he likes reading philosophy and scribbling random thoughts.


Nick Norman (NickNack)

Marketing & PR Manager

After several years living and working in the US, Spain, and Japan, Nick moved to Germany in 2017 to pursue an MBA degree. Later he found his passion for marketing and creative strategy while working in business development.

Nick was finally able to realize his dream of working for a video game developer when he began work at simulogics in March 2020. He can be found creating content for the website, social media platforms, and ads. He is also the contact for player concerns and press relations.


Freelancers

Julian Colbus (Mjeno)

PR & Community Management

Julian started out in the games industry as a freelance composer and sound designer by the name of Mediacracy Music. He has been developing his own sci-fi game on the side since 2016.

Between 2018 and 2020 Julian was a member of the team and took care of any communications and community management matters. You might know him from our fantastic tutorial videos and he continues to support us in everything "multi-media".


Mac Rebisz

Design, Concept Art

Mac has been drawing spaceships long before he even learned to read. The love for "all things space" and his creative mind lead him to a world of concept art. He has worked as a concept artist and illustrator for various video game and film companies, fulfilling his childhood dreams. Mac now works as a Senior Concept Artist at CD Projekt Red.

In his spare time, he designs space missions and spacecraft, some of them shown on his blog Space That Never Was.


Alexander Zacherl

Game Design

Since 2011, Alex has founded two independent game studios and helped bring several video games come to life. As a freelance consultant on design, marketing, and management, he plays an important role in shaping the systems that make up Prosperous Universe's gameplay.

To see what else Alex is currently up, have a look at his Twitter.


FAQ

Here we try to answer the most common questions you might have about Prosperous Universe. If you can't find your question answered in the list, feel free to post it on our forums.