Pitchside Empire

The phone is ringing. They want Saturday, 9pm. What's your price?

Pitchside Empire is a management game that starts with a single five-a-side pitch. Customers call you; you quote a price. Ask too much and they book somewhere else. Ask too little and the pitch fills while the till stays empty. Finding the line between the two is the game.

The haggle

Every call is a decision. The team on the other end has a budget, and they are not telling you what it is. Regulars are more generous and push back less — knowing your customers is an advantage you earn over time. Some will counter your offer. Do you take it, or hold?

Grow the facility

Profits buy changing rooms, showers, a canteen, seating, floodlights. Floodlights make the evening slots sellable — the most valuable hours of the day. Upgrade your pitch surfaces too: a worn pitch means bad reviews, and bad reviews mean falling reputation. When reputation falls, so do customer budgets.

Plot by plot

One plot holds four pitches. Want a fifth? You need new land: the Industrial Yard, the Harbour District, the Lakeside Complex, the Downtown Arena, the Hilltop Campus. Each plot has its own ground, its own decor and its own kind of customer — shift workers fill the late hours at the industrial yard, while the lakeside teams pay properly.

Keep it running without you

Hire a manager and they answer the phone and close deals on your behalf. A cleaner, a cook, an attendant, security — each one touches a different part of customer satisfaction. Promote them and the place runs while you look elsewhere.

The Neighbourhood League

From level 10, the local clubs want to play their tournament on your pitches. One pitch is set aside one day a week; in return you take a hosting fee and ticket revenue. Your own club sits in the table too — and the better your pitches, the better your real chance at the title.

Also

• Fights break out on the pitch. Your reputation takes the hit.

• Customers leave reviews. You can read every one.

• Thirty-day history charts for cash, occupancy and level.

• Eight languages: English, Turkish, German, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian and Simplified Chinese.

• 16 achievements.

From one pitch to a facility. The rest is between you and the phone.