Inside Kingdoms Reborn’s game dev’s journey of discovery and city building
June 27, 2023It’s surprising what a little dissatisfaction can lead to. Seven years ago Ittinop “Pun” Dumnernchanvanit was a student at MIT studying for his PhD in Nuclear Science & Engineering. He was also a big fan of city building games like SimCity, but Pun felt the genre was drying up at the time and saw an opportunity.
Why not make his own game?
Despite a lack of game development experience and two years remaining on his PhD, Pun started spending all of his free time creating a city builder from scratch with the help of Unreal Engine.
Fortunately for Pun, making a city builder was almost as much fun as playing one. Four years later, a PhD earned and the decision to leave a job in his field behind him (despite his family, friends and coworkers disapproving), Pun managed to not only release a game, but release one that is a genuine hit.
Kingdoms Reborn has sold 300,000 copies to date and has earned a 90 percent review average on Steam in its Early Access state.
In the years since, the growing team at Earthshine Games continue to expand Kingdoms Reborn with new factions and new ways to play, all while leaning into some of its more unusual aspects–like the ability to play cooperatively or competitively online.
We spoke with Pun about his journey as a solo developer, why Unreal Engine was the right decision for him and his game, and how Early Access became a pivotal element of the game’s longtail development.
To read the rest of this story, which first ran on June 27, 2023, visit UnrealEngine.com.
