Weedcraft Inc. simulation game for growing and selling weed

As US states take it in turns to legalize the medical and/or recreational cannabis market, numerous business opportunities have arisen. The latest include alcohol manufacturers and beverage companies who, if they haven't already got a foothold in the market, are looking very closely at the possibility of taking a share.

It's against this backdrop that Weedcraft Inc. was conceived, a cannabis cultivation and sales simulation game that takes the cannabis industry very seriously.

«Right now, it's like the end of Prohibition meets the gold rush,» a explained to Polygon Scott Alexander, the game's main scriptwriter, working with Polish studio Vile Monarch and Devolver Digital, notably producer of Serious Sam. «Federal illegality combined with state-by-state legalization created a financial morass and a strange and interesting context. And we thought: «Well, this would make a great simulation game.»

In the game, you take on the role of one of two brothers who decide to open a dispensary in Detroit after seeing their father use medical cannabis during his cancer treatment. The start is simple: 3 plants in a cellar, a small lamp, a few seeds and some potting soil. A little water from time to time. A little pruning. A harvest. Then the first sales.

The game then introduces more complex systems, with the management of nutrient or temperature levels according to varieties, the hiring of employees, the enlargement of cultivation space, the breeding...

Beyond the cultural aspect, you can also get involved in politics or question your ethics when competitors arrive.

«Employees, cops and competition are people you can research, maintain relationships and have financial arrangements with,» explains Scott Alexander. «You can bribe. You can blackmail. You can drive competitors out of business. You can fire your employees or refuse to pay them a [fair] wage and they can leave you.»

Some episodes should also aim to influence state or city legislation, with different levels of legality and morality.

«If I have the opportunity to influence legislation, I may try to legalize cannabis in my state. I might say «I don't want to do that». And I know it will hurt people because they will be unfairly prosecuted, because the laws are unfair to minorities. But I won't have to pay taxes, I won't have to stop using pesticides on my weed. I'll be able to produce my weed for less, sell it for more money and I don't care if I hurt people. Then I'd be a real criminal.»

Truer than life?

Devolver Digital's Weedcraft Inc. will be available soon on Steam in 2019. In the meantime, you can still watch the trailer below.