The Settlers creator is working on a city builder game that will be released later this year

Volker Wertich, the designer and programmer of the original 1993 The Settlers game, is working on a new city builder game due for release in the fourth quarter of this year. The game is called Pioneers of Pagonia.

Frankfurt-based indie studio Envision Entertainment, of which Wertich is a founding member, says it is in Pioneers of Pagonia it’s all about exploration, discovery and reuniting the islands of fictional Pagonia. Players can decorate more than forty different buildings and use more than seventy different goods.

As with The Settlers series, it revolves around managing many production chains, which the creators say will be extensive, and creativity in steering the economy. “With Pioneers of Pagonia, we are returning to the origins of city building simulation, with thousands of residents running around and a focus on the deep simulation of the game world and economy that the community loves,” said Wertich.

Pioneers of Pagonia will have procedurally generated playing fields, which will improve replayability according to the makers. There will be no campaign; the developers focus on procedural map and objective creation and state that that will not lead to repetition. Co-op with a second player will be supported, but more game modes such as true multiplayer are currently not part of the plans.

The studio has published a short teaser and some screenshots, from which it can be concluded that, just like with The Settlers, there is a medieval setting. There are more similarities with the 1993 game, such as the way military units can be deployed. In The Settlers, players cannot directly order the units as is common in RTS games, nor will they be able to in Pioneers of Pagonia. The military and mystical units are based in certain buildings and from there can be ordered to claim or guard a certain new area.

Pioneers of Pagonia will be released as an Early Access title at the end of this year on Steam. That status will last for at least six months. The main features of the game will be in place when the early access phase begins.