Humankind
GameBy Amplitude Studios · Released Aug 17, 2021
Humankind is a historical strategy game where you will re-write the entire narrative of humankind, a convergence of culture, history, and values that allows you to create a civilization that is as unique as you are. How far will you push humankind?
Connections
Each row is a game or company named alongside Humankind, each column a document, oldest first. A mark means that document names it. Select a row to see those documents.
About the game
- Released
- Aug 17, 2021
- Developer
- Amplitude Studios
- Publisher
- Sega
- Genres
- Simulator, Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS)
- Platforms
- Google Stadia, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Links
- Official site, Wikipedia
Game data from IGDB.com
Documents about Humankind
Why are Historical Games so Crunchy? | Design Club
Historical games frequently employ high levels of mechanical complexity, or "crunch," to satisfy a player base that demands rigorous authenticity and factual fidelity.
- Historical games utilize 'crunch'—complex, detailed systems—to achieve verisimilitude, the emotional resonance that makes a setting feel authentic to players even if it isn't perfectly accurate.
- Historical accuracy is often prioritized because players have deep, real-world cultural and personal connections to historical events, making them sensitive to inaccuracies that would be ignored in fantasy settings.
- Crunch in historical games does not require numerical systems; it can manifest through authentic environmental details, such as the specific sound of a weapon, period-accurate equipment, or complex mechanical systems.
Life after Sega: Can Relic and Amplitude rejuvenate strategy games
Relic Entertainment and Amplitude Studios are navigating a pivotal transition following their departure from Sega, marking a broader industry shift toward independent agility within the strategy game sector.
- Relic Entertainment and Amplitude Studios have transitioned to independent operations following their departure from Sega to prioritize operational autonomy and community-focused development.
- Relic Entertainment is implementing a tiered production system that separates flagship titles from smaller, experimental projects under the 'Relic Labs' initiative to reduce financial risk and overhead.
- Amplitude Studios is maintaining its focus on the 4X strategy genre with a dedicated team of approximately 170 professionals, prioritizing deep engagement with its existing player base over mass-market expansion.
Plus: Next Week in Hype? Aliens, Kings... & Psychonauts
This analysis examines the performance and market anticipation of video game releases across Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox during late August 2021.
- Steam remains a strong platform for diverse hits, evidenced by Humankind reaching 55,000 peak concurrent users (CCU) and over 4,400 reviews shortly after its late August 2021 launch.
- Xbox indie developers face significant challenges in driving unit sales, as the dominance of the Game Pass subscription model appears to cannibalize traditional paid downloads.
- Aliens: Fireteam Elite and Psychonauts 2 are positioned as the primary high-anticipation titles for the end of August 2021, with the former gaining 24,000 followers in a short timeframe.
Game Discovery: Where Do Short and Niche Games Fit?
The current digital games landscape presents significant discoverability hurdles for short, niche, and narrative-focused titles.
- Digital storefront algorithms, particularly on Steam, prioritize high concurrent user counts, replayability, and consistent review activity, which structurally disadvantages short, narrative-focused, and one-off titles.
- Subscription services like Apple Arcade and Xbox Game Pass are increasingly pivoting toward evergreen, replayable content, further marginalizing niche games that lack long-term engagement metrics.
- Steam 'Hype' data shows that successful unreleased titles, such as Humankind and Dwarf Fortress, rely on established brand recognition or deep mechanical complexity to secure hundreds of thousands of followers.
Companies behind it
As the documents state it.