Behind the Scenes of the Roman City-Builder Pax Augusta

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Pax Augusta has gained significant attention across various showcases and built a dedicated fanbase. Roger Gassmann, the developer and founder of the studio behind the game, shared insights into its development, historical accuracy, and future plans.

Pax Augusta strives for an authentic representation of Rome during its historical era. Gassmann emphasized the extensive research conducted to achieve this. He traveled across Europe to study Roman ruins, ensuring the game’s proportions and details are accurate. While some aspects are simplified for better gameplay, the overall experience remains faithful to historical facts.

The inspiration for Pax Augusta came from Gassmann’s love for the Caesar series, especially Caesar II. Disappointed by the lack of a modern successor, he decided to create his own game. This decision, driven by a mix of passion and naivety, led to the birth of Pax Augusta. He chose a full release over Early Access. Although he is new to game development and unsure of the best approach, he intends to launch Pax Augusta as a complete game, fixing any bugs after release.

After dedicating six years to developing the game, Gassmann plans to take a well-earned break. Following the launch, he plans to work on additional content (DLC) for at least five years. He also hinted at another game idea he would like to pursue depending on the success of Pax Augusta. This potential project, like Pax Augusta, would be historically accurate, but possibly in a different genre.

Although Gassmann is not particularly interested in incorporating religion into games, he acknowledges its importance to the community. Pax Augusta allows players to build temples dedicated to various deities, which can affect gameplay by boosting productivity and the morale of the city’s inhabitants. This compromise ensures that religion plays a role without dominating the game.

Pax Augusta will be available for PC via Steam sometime this year.