Farming Simulator Gets a Physical 16-Bit Release For Genesis
The popular Farming Simulator series of games, by GIANTS Software, is set to receive a surprising new version: a physical cartridge for the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive outside the US) with a full version of the game done in a retro 16-bit style. It’ll be available on May 14, 2025.
Farming Simulator is a long-running farm management simulation series available on PC and consoles, with part 25 released in November 2024. Farming Simulator 16-Bit was included with the Collector’s Edition of Farming Simulator 25, but only as a PC DVD. The forthcoming cartridge is the same 16-Bit version but produced exclusively for Genesis.
“When the idea for a Mega Drive version came up, I knew it was a unique, almost once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Renzo Thönen, lead level designer and co-owner of GIANTS Software, in an interview on the official Farming Simulator website.
“As a retro gamer and hobbyist retro developer, I just had to jump at the chance to not only contribute to the game, but actually make it.”
Authentic Retro Farming
Rather than being just a pixel screen filter or modern version of a retro game, Thönen took the idea of a 16-Bit Farming Simulator seriously and sought to make something with similar limitations appropriate to the technology.
“I programmed the game in C and used SGDK, an open-source development kit specifically made to create Sega Mega Drive/Genesis games. SGDK took care of most of the low-level stuff, allowing me to concentrate on the game.”
Thönen also highlighted other design limitations he came across, such as the memory size of the Genesis console, and how these impacted the overall game: “For example, I couldn’t fit one large map into the console, so I made three smaller ones that could be played simultaneously.
I also had to limit the number of vehicles that could be on a map at the same time. To alleviate this, I added a garage where vehicles could be stored and moved from one map to another.”
16-Bit Crops And 3D Machines
The Farming Simulator games are known for their in-depth roster of farming equipment and crop types, which were two things that were pivotal to include in the 16-Bit version. Although the number of these had to be pared back to fit within the constraints of the Genesis, the 16-Bit version still manages to include 14 machines and 3 different farms to plow, cultivate and harvest.
“I couldn’t make the fields as high-resolution as in the main game, so I had to determine the size of a field chunk, the smallest changeable part of a field. It needed to be large enough for all fields to fit in memory but still small enough for wider tools to make a difference. If you buy a larger seeder, you also expect to sow a larger area. This, in turn, determined the size of the fields and, on a larger scale, the overall dimensions of the maps.”
Thönen also spoke about how he used modern graphic-related software, such as Aesprite and Blender, to work on the 16-Bit version’s graphics: “I hand-pixeled the background graphics while using pre-rendered 3D models for the vehicle and tool sprites. Graphically, I didn’t do anything that couldn’t have been done back then; I could just do it faster thanks to modern software tools.”
Farming Simulator 16-Bit will be released in a special green Genesis cartridge in an initial limited edition run of 1,000 copies in May, followed by another limited edition run of 1,000 copies but as a Deluxe Edition that also comes with additional content, in July.
