Today’s Niche Spotlight is APICO, a laid-back beekeeping sim by TNgineers and Whitethorn Games.

APICO is available on Windows PC, Linux, and Mac via the Epic Games Store and Steam for $19.99. The game also has a free demo you can try out.

The game lets players collect, breed, and conserve hives of bees. Crossbreed hive populations to discover over 30 species of bees. Explore different biomes, all with their own unique resources and bee species.

Collect and sell honey and other beekeeping materials and supplies to earn a profit. Craft items and breed bees using unique minigames. Release endangered bee species back into the wild to repopulate colonies. APICO also features 4-player online co-op and full modding support.

You can find the launch trailer for APICO below.

You can find a rundown (via Steam) below:

APICO

APICO is a laid-back beekeeping sim game about breeding, collecting, & conserving bees! Leave your boring city job behind to return to your family home in Port APICO and get back to your beekeeping roots.

Set in a series of lush environments, APICO uniquely combines resource gathering, biology, and beekeeping minigames, taking ideas from a mix of real-life and fantasy apiculture & floriculture.

On your journey you’ll rediscover lost species, cross-breed new bees, and help repopulate the islands.

Features

• Live out your wildest beekeeping fantasies – sting free!
• Unique crafting & beekeeping minigames that drive gameplay progression
• Cross-breed different bees to discover over 30 new species
• Make and sell honey, Apicola, and other beekeeping products
• Repopulate lost species and release them back into the wild
• Multiple biomes to explore, each with their own unique bee species
• Uncover the forgotten secrets of the APICO islands
• Play together with friends in 4 player online co-op!
• Completed the game but buzzing for more? Try modding!

Developers

APICO is being created by the TNgineers, two brothers – Ell & Jamie, inspired by their love of casual and crafting games.

They wanted to make something relaxing, intriguing, and semi-educational (just don’t think about the magical bees). Ell builds nice things and Jamie makes sure he breaks them.

Charity 

Bees are integral to our gameplay, as they are to our real-world ecosystem.
We want to promote bee conservation and will be donating a portion of sales towards national and international beekeeping charities.

You can also find other ways to help do you part on our website.

Social

We post regular updates of our development progress on both Twitter, Discord, and Guilded as well as important announcements, stupid GIFs, cute pics of bees – what more could you want?

If you’re a developer and want your game showcased on Niche Spotlight, please contact us!

This is Niche Spotlight. In this column, we regularly introduce new games to our fans, so please leave feedback and let us know if there’s a game you want us to cover!