The Guild – Europa 1410

A dynasty, not an empire

A dynasty is your family line — the heirs you raise and the succession you secure across generations. You begin at the head of a fledgling dynasty with only a modest business, and your journey begins there. As the years pass and your enterprise grows, you expand your family's influence and secure a succession so your legacy endures for future generations. The Guild has always been about a single family — its family members, its rivalries, its dynasty's future — in one city rather than painting a map, and Europa 1410 leans back into that.

A return to the 1400 roots

Ashborne Games describes this as drawing inspiration from the 2002 original, Europa 1400: The Guild, rather than continuing from The Guild 3. As in every The Guild game, craft and trade stay among the core pillars, while the studio layers in innovative new features for both longtime fans of the guild series and newcomers — offering engaging gameplay either way. The setting is medieval Europe: the 15th-century Holy Roman Empire, the year 1410 placing it on the cusp of a turbulent, revolution-shadowed era, rendered as a living historic city in Unreal Engine 5.

Four cities to rise in

Early Access opens with four cities: Kuttenberg, Nuremberg, Graz and Wrocław. Each historic city is divided into districts — its neighbourhoods — and those into smaller quarters that grow over time; a district can begin on the outskirts and gain its own walls and gates, and as you invest, the landscape transforms with new districts, bustling marketplaces and ever more intricate architecture. Holding the relevant office lets you shape that growth, building walls, fountains, marketplaces and pillories, while a quarter's reputation, crime and filth have a significant impact on daily life. The most prestigious and powerful offices place you among the other office holders who steer the city.

Eleven trades, honest or not

A profession is the trade your household runs — its building, its busy workshops and its income. Each profession offers its own upgrades and a unique gameplay experience as you master trade and production and push your business growth toward becoming the city's most influential magnate. Eleven are confirmed for Early Access:

• Smith, Stone Mason and Joiner — metal, stone and woodwork
• Tailor and Perfumer — clothing and scents
• Alchemist, Preacher and Innkeeper — potions, parchment and the tavern
• Thief, Robber and Guard — the underworld, and the law that chases it

Players who prefer alternative ways to make money get a more thrilling path: criminal action such as cart robberies, scouting buildings for valuable loot, pickpocketing unsuspecting citizens, even kidnapping people for ransom — high risk for great rewards.

Politics, from burgher to prince

Money alone won't give you a voice in the town hall. Political offices are the posts you can hold — from local roles up to the highest offices — and they let you set the rules others live by. To climb the social ladder you have to engage the intricate political landscape — a complex web of relationships with your fellow citizens — pairing business success with strategic alliances, open rivalry and clever schemes. Players rise through eight social titles, from Burgher to Prince of the Empire, where law abiding citizens and schemers alike vie for the same offices. Your own actions, lawful or not, can significantly advance a dynasty — or undo it.

Crime, courts and the law

The law is a tool as much as a threat — sometimes it's just the tool you need. Hold the Treasurer's office to set taxes, rents and fees, or the Inquisitor's to maintain order and pursue crimes such as kidnapping and blackmail. Crimes leave evidence that can be used in court, and you can drag a rival before a judge, plant evidence, charm the bench, or simply buy your way to absolution.

Solo or with friends

You can build a dynasty alone or share a city with others: online multiplayer supports up to twelve players in both co-op and PvP. Note the timing — the studio has said multiplayer will be added during early access rather than at the 16 July launch. Either way, Europa 1410 is at heart an immersive economic simulation where the aim is to found a dynasty and, in time, dominate history.