Game Studio on Creating Simulations, Expanding to Open-World, & Vision for Early Access

Aesir Interactive has steadily built a reputation for crafting detailed simulation-driven experiences that prioritize player agency and systemic design. From emergency response scenarios to expansive sandbox environments, the studio’s work often focuses on creating worlds that feel authentic and reactive rather than heavily scripted. As recently as this month, they launched The Legend of Khiimori into early access, and it's been a hit with fans, earning a 'Mostly Positive' review average after more than 500 user reviews.

For the team at Aesir Interactive, building these worlds is as much about studio culture and development philosophy as it is about technology. In this interview, the developers discuss how their work ethic shapes the way they design open worlds and simulations, the challenges of balancing realism with accessibility, and how their team approaches long-term iteration on complex systems. 

Aesir Interactive was founded in 2013 in Munich, Germany, and has grown from its origins to a studio of over 117 employees. Can you take us through the founding story?

Aesir Interactive: The name Aesir Interactive existed even prior to the official foundation. Back then, we, the founders, had met and worked together as a student team. Right after our studies, we knew we wanted to keep building together. So, we moved fast and founded a company just the five of us, and we’re still here at the studio today.

Over the last 13 years, we’ve reinvented ourselves again and again: from mobile to HbbTV, from serious games to automotive and business applications, and deep into VR with multiple games and gamified experiences.

But the goal never changed: build a sustainable AA studio with a healthy culture. We did whatever it took to fund the dream until we could go all-in on games.

Bavaria’s FFF funding and Germany’s national games funding have been game-changers on our road to success. Since 2013, we’ve submitted over 20 game projects, and every round pushed us to level up, not just in know-how, but in professionalism.

Working across different industries gave us a wider toolkit than games alone ever could. And one principle still holds today: we keep multiple projects running in parallel to keep the studio stable, a strategy that has already carried us through more than once.

Aesir Interactive has deep roots in simulation games. What drew the studio to the simulation genre? Is this a deliberate strategic focus, or did you find success in simulations and lean into it?

Aesir Interactive: We’ve always been a tech-driven studio, and working on serious automotive simulations only sharpened that edge. Combined with our own passion, market expectations, and potential, it made simulation games the perfect next step.

When we started Police Simulator, for example, there were only a handful of truly high-quality sims on the market. We saw a clear opportunity: raise the bar and deliver premium simulation experiences for players who love this genre and stick with us as fans.

Our games are built around one core idea: large open worlds powered by deep, complex systems. And we design our simulators to welcome more players by offering both Simulation and Casual modes, plus plenty of adjustable settings so everyone can tune the experience to their taste.

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers has become one of your biggest successes. Can you share the story of that project’s development and success?

Aesir Interactive: We set out to build the best police simulator out there, without forgetting that it still needs to be a game. From a design perspective, that was the hardest part: police work is incredibly broad, so we deliberately focused on a strong subset to reach the level of quality we were aiming for.

What truly made the difference was the team behind the game and a community that has supported us from day one and still delivers invaluable feedback and reports. Early on, we also recognized the IP’s full “game as a service” potential, and we’ve been expanding it ever since with both free and paid content. 

For us, authenticity had to be systemic. Accidents are real physics simulations even when they happen off-screen. Service vehicles actually drive to callouts and do their jobs. Traffic follows real rules. We even worked with closed groups of real US police officers to get procedures and laws right as much as possible.

Because it’s a systemic game, the longer you play, the more tools you unlock, and the more depth you get. Early Access was a turning point: we gathered thousands of comments, prioritized what mattered most, and shipped a huge number of improvements.

That’s why Police Simulator’s biggest success is its engaged community. It started as a strong core around our 2021 Early Access launch, backed the game from the beginning, and helped spread the word. A big part of our credibility comes from our players, so community-driven development became a deliberate strategy for every project we did after release. We invested in building the team up to 5 people today, our social channels, and our Discord, so our audience has a real platform we can support long-term.

Looking at your portfolio, your work is published across an impressive range of platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, mobile, and VR. From a technical and production perspective, what interesting technical decisions or solutions has Aesir developed to efficiently support multi-platform development?

Aesir Interactive: One of our biggest calls came in 2014: we switched to Unreal Engine right as UE4 launched (4.0/4.1) and never looked back. Since then, we’ve built deep Unreal expertise and a robust library of plugins tailored to how we develop and which platforms we ship on.

We even maintain our own Unreal branch with additions that make projects faster to set up and more efficient to run.

Depending on the game, we tap into almost everything the engine offers: PCG to fill massive open worlds, Niagara VFX with custom nodes for all effects (including the blood simulation in Ambulance Life), Nanite and Lumen for high-end visuals, Gameplay Ability System for player tools, and more. We even create animations directly in-editor with Control Rig.

The Legend of Khiimori marks a significant departure for Aesir. It's an open-world adventure set in 13th-century Mongolia focused on horse breeding, courier riding, and survival. What’s the story behind this project? 

Aesir Interactive: The Legend of Khiimori started with our desire to make a game where the horse isn’t just a mount but an emotional and mechanical center of the entire experience. Our background in systems and simulation made us want to build a world where survival, exploration, and a system-driven approach emerge naturally from how players care for, train, and travel with their horses. We want to make the journey itself the gameplay experience and less about what happens at your start or target area.

13th‑century Mongolia felt like the perfect fit. The nomadic lifestyle, the legendary horsemanship, and the vast Yam courier network gave us a setting where long‑distance riding and courier deliveries feel authentic, meaningful, and adventurous, with just enough room for myth.

As we approach our March 2026 Early Access launch, development is in a good place: core loops are solid, world content is expanding, and we’re polishing the horse mechanics and survival systems. Early Access will help us refine the experience with real player feedback, exactly the kind of collaboration this game thrives on since its successful Kickstarter campaign in March 2025.

You're also publishing EverRail, a train-based survival crafting game set in a frozen procedural world. What drove the decision to expand into publishing?

Aesir Interactive: Expanding into publishing with EverRail was a natural step for us. Over the years, we’ve built a lot of experience in production, platform relations, marketing, and community management, and we realized we could use that expertise to help smaller teams bring ambitious projects to market while letting them stay fully focused on development.

For Aesir, publishing isn’t about becoming a big label; it’s about partnering selectively on games we genuinely believe in and where our strengths can make a real difference. It fits into our broader strategy of diversifying in a smart, sustainable way, supporting creators, expanding our portfolio, and building long‑term value without compromising our development roots.

Both The Legend of Khiimori and EverRail are launching in Early Access in 2026. What’s Aesir’s philosophy on Early Access? How do you balance launching "early in development" with maintaining quality standards and managing community expectations?

Aesir Interactive: Our philosophy on Early Access is simple: it only works when you’re transparent, prepared, and committed. We don’t see Early Access as “launching early” but as opening the doors early, at the moment when the core experience is already fun and representative of the game’s identity. Both The Legend of Khiimori and EverRail reach that point in 2026.

The balance comes from being honest about what’s in, what’s missing, and what’s coming next. Players respond well when expectations are clear, and updates are consistent. We’ve learned from the market that successful Early Access titles treat their community like development partners, not testers: communicate often, show progress, and deliver meaningful updates rather than chasing feature checklists. For us, Early Access is a collaboration phase. It lets us refine systems with real player input while still holding firm on quality standards and a clear long‑term vision.

Game distribution and marketing have evolved dramatically, especially for mid-sized independent studios. What would you recommend as the best strategies for distributing and selling games in 2026? What channels, partnerships, or approaches have proven most effective?

Aesir Interactive: Distribution and marketing have changed massively in the last few years, and for mid‑sized studios like ours, the most effective strategy in 2026 is to think in “ecosystems” rather than individual platforms. What has worked especially well for Aesir is a mix of multi‑channel reach and community‑driven “first” visibility. 

On PC, Steam is still the anchor, but visibility now depends heavily on building momentum before the store algorithms kick in: wishlists, playtests, and creator‑driven awareness matter more than ever. The same goes for Kickstarter, which helped a lot to raise awareness for The Legend of Khiimori, which currently has over 260.000 wishlists on Steam.

For the console, strong relationships with platform holders and publishers remain essential. 

Ultimately, success in 2026 isn’t about choosing one big channel; it’s about the right mix of discoverability, credibility, and long‑tail community engagement starting early during production. That combination has been the most effective for us.

Looking ahead at 2026 and beyond, what’s your vision for Aesir Interactive? How do you see the game development landscape evolving?

Aesir Interactive: We’re committed to being a multi-project studio. It gives us flexibility, a safety net, and the runway to grow into a true AA studio. Our self-publishing and own-IP strategy supports that goal: we’re building an independent pillar step by step, with the long-term ambition to grow into a publisher role.

In the end, though, everything depends on the products. They must sell if we want to secure the future of our studio and the team we care about. That’s why we stay close to the genres we’re known for: simulators, adventure, and survival games in large open worlds. We use playtests, community feedback, and metrics throughout production to stay aligned with what players expect from the market today and ultimately deliver a successful game.

We’re constantly evolving, and you can see it best in the passion and growth of our team over the years. At the same time, the industry is getting tougher: publisher investments are shrinking while development costs keep rising. Running a studio of 90+ full-time employees in Germany is only sustainable with strong funding programs. These programs help secure projects over multiple years and strengthen Germany’s position as an internationally competitive games hub, not just for us, but for the entire industry. Long-term funding and tax credits have proven their impact in places like Canada and France, and they can be just as decisive for Germany’s future.

Aesir Interactive, Development Studio

Interview Conducted by the 80 Level Editorial Team