An online game by a Manx creator has reached the milestone of one billion plays.

Cameron Scott is the creator of Restaurant Tycoon 2, which can be accessed on Roblox.

It’s based around the idea that the player starts with a small, basic restaurant with a couple of tables, and is tasked with gradually growing this over time. As they invest more time into the game, they can create a large, five-star restaurant with gourmet food and luxury furniture.

Since its release in October 2019, it has accumulated over 1 billion play sessions, which is when any person from around the world decides to open up the game.

Mr Scott said: ‘Creating Restaurant Tycoon 2 has been an incredible journey so far, and we are thrilled that so many players have enjoyed our game.

‘We continue to update the game regularly with new content to keep players engaged.

‘For example, just this year we have added new café food, dishwashers and other new furniture items. We are committed to keeping the game fresh and exciting for years to come, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Restaurant Tycoon 2.

‘Thank you to my players, new and old, who I give my gratitude for helping me reach this epic milestone.’

He explained how the game came to be, saying: ‘My journey as a game developer began when I was around 14 years old.

‘Most nights, I would come home from school and indulge myself for hours in learning how to code and create games, probably when I should have been doing more homework!

‘As my passion evolved and my skills as a game developer improved, I began to create more complex and polished games.

‘The story of Restaurant Tycoon begins in 2017. Inspired by my friend’s suggestion to create a restaurant-based game, this was the latest passion project I began working on.

‘The first iteration of Restaurant Tycoon was a great success in its own right. However, a couple of years later in 2019, I decided to create the second version.

‘Armed with a couple of extra years of programming experience, I knew that I could build upon what I had already to create something special.’

In total, he spent six months developing the game and was released in October of that year, ‘gaining popularity almost instantly’, Mr Scott said.

‘Restaurant Tycoon 2 is also an educational and social experience,’ he added. ‘It contains around 200 different foods from over 25 countries, allowing players to learn about different cuisines from around the world.

‘It’s also part of the metaverse, not only can players work on their own restaurant, but they can also explore the 3D environment and discover others’ creations.

‘They can choose to sit down and order food from another player’s restaurant, or even help them out and work as a chef or waiter for them.’

The game now has around 500,000 daily active users and seven million unique players every month.

‘Part of the reason for this is its high accessibility,’ said the creator. ‘For example, the game is both suitable, and fun, for all ages.

‘Also, we are proud that the game has been translated into over 20 languages since its release.

‘This has increased popularity in many regions of the world, including South America and South-East Asia, where the game is very popular.

‘Finally, playing the game doesn’t require any powerful equipment or an expensive gaming PC, it can be played on any average smartphone, and performs well too.’