The People or Profit expansion for Discounty is officially out, and according to Crinkle Cut Games, the reception has been stellar. After the update was teased at the Wholesome Games Direct, players have been diving into the new content, which developers Anne Elser and Magnus Wahlers say directly addresses the most common “pain points” found in the base game.
Addressing Player Feedback
“We heard the feedback loud and clear,” Elser noted during our sit-down. The most requested feature—the ability to rebuild the town—was initially off the table. Elser had a specific vision for Discounty as a “subversive” take on the genre, wanting to avoid the standard tropes of expansion without consequence. However, as player demand grew, the team decided to integrate the feature, alongside other ambitious additions like a housing market and self-checkout capabilities.
Supported by arts grants in Denmark, the studio utilized the space to experiment. Beyond the structural changes, the expansion introduces 35 new items, three new characters, and a variety of shop events.
Why No Romance?
While players now have more agency over the town, one requested feature remains absent: romance. Elser admits she enjoys romance in games like Baldur’s Gate, but implementing it in Discounty presented a design hurdle. “If we had done it, we would have done it in a way that was very Discounty-esque, so that it could have somehow been related to how many fish sticks you sell,” she joked.
The core issue, according to Elser, was the item system. Because players have constant access to every item in the shop, a traditional gift-giving mechanic felt “weird.” She explained, “You’d just walk to the back of the shop and pick up a cucumber and then give it to someone.” Without the time to solve that design challenge in a way that felt consistent with the game’s identity, the team opted to skip it, focusing instead on other forms of character interaction—like the “tantalizing” divorce drama between Hilda and Karl.
Fate and the New Endings
The expansion also introduces three new endings. Rather than declaring one “canon,” the developers want players to decide the town's ultimate direction. Wahlers, however, doesn't hide his preference. “The evil ending is just my flavor of game,” he admitted. “I just love being so evil, and I think it’s really to such an extreme that it’s almost making fun of itself in a nice way.”
Whether you choose to be benevolent or focus entirely on profit, the developers feel these endings reflect the game’s core message: that good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes.
Discounty and the People or Profit expansion are available now on Steam and the Nintendo eShop. Mobile players on iOS and Android can currently pre-order the title.