Get it on Steam
DRM-free version
Build your headquarters
Buy plots in a huge map to create and customize your own building. No grid necessary, just make sure there's coffee.
Tycoon / Management / Simulation
Software Inc.
Construct and design buildings for optimal working conditions. Hire people to design and release software, and build assembly lines to manufacture hardware, so you can defeat the simulated competition and take over their businesses. Manage and educate your employees to make sure they are skilled and satisfied with their job.
Software Inc. is currently in early access for Windows, Linux and Mac.
- Windows
- Linux
- Mac
- Up to 4 players co-op
- Moddable
Trailer
Pictures
What you do
Design your own products
Craft and manufacture software and hardware products, corner your market, defeat the competition, and make them work for you.
Manage your employees
Create and optimize teams of employees with different skills and demands to release products in a timely fashion. Why not poach a big shot lead designer from a competitor to give you the edge?
Simulate the market
Every playthrough of Software Inc. is different, as the market is simulated and randomized. Each action you take affects how history plays out.
- Build, furnish, style and maintain office buildings up to ten stories + basement, on an enormous land, using a free-form building system with simple copy-paste tools
- Hire employees to design, develop, support, update, research and market software and hardware in teams
- Build roads, paths, bike racks and parking to ease commuting for your employees
- Tend to your employees' needs, demands, skills and specializations, while making sure each team has compatibility and cohesion
- Customize your own founder or split the company between a team of founders
- Design and manufacture your own software and hardware products and franchises
- Compete in a simulated and randomly populated market by selling your products, taking on contract work, creating patents, making deals and trading stocks
- Set up your own servers for products, source control and running your own online store
- Hire staff to repair your furniture and computers, clean your office, make food for your employees, transport goods, secure your offices or greet visitors
- Mod what kind of software you can develop, add your own furniture, upload your building blueprints, add support for your language or write your own code to modify the game
- Delegate important tasks to your team leaders, such as managing development cycles and human resources
- Play against up to 3 other players in the same map or cooperate with your friends by delegating work tasks, manufacturing jobs and server hosting
Buy now
Two versions of the game, one company to build. Pick whichever suits you.
Get Software Inc. on Steam
Includes cloud saves, Steam Workshop modding, online multiplayer and a Steam key for the DRM-free version.
Get the DRM-free version
Software Inc. is currently in Early Access, meaning it is still under development. Core features are subject to change and the game might be unstable in areas.
The purchase includes:
- Immediate access to the current version
- All future updates
- The final release
- Windows, Mac and Linux builds
- No ads and no In-app purchases, ever
The purchase does not include (only available on Steam):
- A Steam key
- Cloud saves
- Online multiplayer (this version is LAN only, and needs manual port forwarding for playing outside the local network)
- Modding through the Steam Workshop
What does DRM-free mean?
DRM (Digital Rights Management)-free means the game does not include any anti-piracy measures, such as requiring an online connection or a key to unlock. You just download the game files and they are yours to keep forever.
News
Final Overhaul update
I expect this to be the final update before the overhaul releases into testing, completely breaking save compatibility. According to my own timeline, the update should be done around start December.
Box art
All software can now have box art instead of the current Floppy/CD art, and it will be fully moddable. You'll have a choice of background, middle ground and foreground, each optionally colorable, with up to 3 custom colors — and the box construction itself will change throughout the years.
CEOs
AI companies now have CEOs. Each come with different skill levels that change how well the company does in different areas. CEOs can be replaced, either through retirement, directly with subsidiaries or through voting by share owners. CEOs can also cause controversy, to add some interest in the stock system.
Post marketing overhaul cancelled
After years of iterations, I've decided that I won't be able to come up with a satisfactory overhaul of the post-marketing system. Outside of how the other new marketing mechanics interact with this system, the overall gameplay loop for the post-marketing mechanic will stay the same after this update. Pre-marketing is still being overhauled, as described in the last update.
Underground parking + 2 basement levels
I decided to add this often requested feature, which necessitated adding 2 floors to the basement, to make room for vehicles.
Dark mode
The update also comes with a new color theming system that allows you to change most colors in the UI, and it comes with a dark theme included.
Highlights from the patch notes
- Added server hardware products, and you now need to populate in-world servers with servers from the market or manufacture your own
- DDoS events will now happen randomly and can be thwarted with secure servers and IT staff — and you can target other players in multiplayer
- Added hype stat, that can increase pre-marketing effectiveness but risks increased refunds and bad reviews
- Added target audiences, that affect how customers interact with a product
- Added in-world ads, that update daily and show off the most marketed products
- Entire IPs can now gain their own following, separate from the companies' fans
- Added UI color theming with dark mode included
- Deals and contracts can be set as secondary tasks; parking spaces can now be assigned to teams
- Support ticket simulation now happens separately from the support task
- Added the ability to manually connect and disconnect conveyors from pallets
Patch notes for Beta 1.8.42
My web-host changed how they handle http requests when uploading files, which meant that bug reporting and logo sharing was broken, due to both uploading files to my website. I have now fixed these requests, so they will once again work. I don't have anything else to say about the matter...
Here is a teaser for the subsidiary CEO mechanic I'm working on for the overhaul.
Overhaul update
Work on the overhaul is moving forward at a steady pace. Here are some of the things that have changed since last.
Servers
You can now develop your own server products and use them for hosting your software, or use servers already on the market. A server's bandwidth, durability, power usage and security will depend on which features you select during development. The security attribute will lower the impact of DDoS attacks. DDoS attacks will happen more frequently the bigger your company gets, but can also be carried out by other players in multiplayer. Your IT staff will work to mitigate any attacks.
Pre-marketing — target audiences
3 audiences have been added to the game, each of which interact with your products in different ways. Some will be more or less likely to refund, more or less sensitive to pricing, or increase or reduce support tickets, etc. Each type of software will affect the target audience, based on how you balance the market targeting.
Pre-marketing — hype
You can now hype products during development. Hype will increase total audience reach, but also audience expectations, so you better not make too many promises!
Process simplification
Hype, press releases and press builds are out and have been replaced with Pre-marketing, your only way to gain followers and hype during development, and Messaging, where you can update your messaging about 4-8 times during development to hone in on your target audience, hype your product and nudge your target audience.
About Coredumping
Coredumping is a one-man game company founded in 2014, and the studio behind Software Inc.
Kenneth Otto Larsen — owner/developer
Coredumping ApS · DK36395826 · Denmark
