In 1989, game designer spent a beach holiday coding a prototype for a model railroad simulation. That prototype, which he almost abandoned for a spy game, eventually became Railroad Tycoon , the 1990 classic that defined the business simulation genre. The Story of the Game's Creation

: Meier’s original goal was a "software toy" where players could lay tracks and watch trains run, much like a digital model railroad.

This combination allowed players to either focus on building efficient routes or engage in cutthroat corporate warfare against AI versions of historical figures like and J.P. Morgan . Is it Really Free?

: At the time, the full game (approx. 15MB) was provided for free on the official 2K website, including the manual and reference cards.