Catan Console Edition has been announced by Dovetail Games, bringing the popular board game to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4 and Xbox One in 2023.
This is a brand new adaptation in development by Nomad Games. Where other currently available versions are more straight-laced in their visual approach – Catan VR has you sitting at a virtual table – Catan Console Edition will have hexagonal tiles rising up out of the sea, rendered in 3D, with NPCs walking around and animals in the fields. Certain in-game challenges will allow you to unlock some cosmetic rewards.
Set on the island of Catan, players have to try to race to populate it by building settlements, cities and roads to connect them all up. Players build by spending resources, earning them from hexes adjacent to their settlements, and spending tactically to try to earn ten victory points – one for each settlement owned, two for each city, and bonus points for having the longest roads and largest armies.
Catan Console Edition will come with a modes for both solo play against dynamic AI and both local and online multiplayer for up to four players. Local play allows you to sync up your phones to keep your hand of playable cars secret from other players, while online multiplayer will have a ranking system for the matchmaking to try and give games with players of similar skill levels. It’s not yet known if crossplay will be possible between PlayStation and Xbox.
There’s no specifics on a release date, with the simple intention of launching in 2023 the only indication we have so far.
This is far from the first time that Catan has been adapted into video game form, with some of the most notable examples being two separately developed versions for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2007 and 2008 respectively – it was a strange time. 2013 saw the release of Catan: Creators Edition for PC and Mac, which supplanted the previous Catan: Cities and Knights, and has since been removed from availability. There was also a failed MMO ARG by Pokémon Go developer Niantic which shut down last year. Right now, there’s a free to play version called Catan Universe across PC, web and mobile, Catan VR, and Catan on Nintendo Switch.
With some neat ideas for local play and better visuals, Catan Console Edition could very easily become the best way to play the game when it comes out next year.
Source: Catan Console Edition
