Merchant — Press Kit
A calm medieval trade empire, built on the real world. No timers, no stress.
The essentials.
- Developer
- Emphasis — an independent studio in the Netherlands
- Game
- Merchant
- Genre
- Location-based · calm strategy · trading
- Platforms
- iOS & Android — free, with optional in-app purchases
- Release
- Merchant 3.0 — 2026
- Price
- Free to download · optional in-app purchases
- Website
- merchantthegame.com
- Press contact
- support@emphasis.nl
- Available on
- App Store · Google Play
What is Merchant?
Merchant is a calm medieval trade game played on top of the real world. Found settlements at genuine locations, master intricate production chains, and grow a prosperous network of towns into a trade empire — with no timers, no countdowns, and no stress. It’s the anti-grind GPS game: a few thoughtful decisions whenever the day allows, and your empire waits patiently until you return.
Merchant turns the world around you into a living medieval economy. Establish settlements at real-world locations, gather resources, and develop specialized industries — from farming and mining to blacksmithing and fine luxury crafts. Every settlement you found becomes part of a larger network, on a map that grows over the places you already know.
Success depends on more than production alone. Design efficient supply chains, dispatch caravans and carriers to move goods where they earn the most, and balance the needs of a growing population. Recruit specialists, deal with the tribes that share your world, and extend your influence across towns, regions, and realms until a handful of humble settlements becomes a prosperous empire.
What sets Merchant apart is its pace. There are no reflex challenges, no punishing countdowns, and no pressure to log in on someone else’s schedule. It’s built for unhurried afternoons — quiet strategy with real depth, made for players who love the idea of a location-based world but not the grind that usually comes with it.
Merchant is a spiritual heir to the classic era of location-based, GPS-driven trading games, reimagined for a calmer, cozier style of play. It appeals to two kinds of explorer: cozy and idle-strategy players looking for depth without the stress, and veterans of the GPS-game genre searching for a new world to build in.
What you can do.
- Real-world settlements. Found towns at genuine GPS locations and watch a medieval map grow over the places you already know.
- Production chains. Turn raw resources into refined goods through industries from grain and ore to fine luxury crafts.
- Trade routes. Connect your network with supply lines that move goods to where they earn the most.
- Caravans & carriers. Dispatch carriers to haul goods between settlements and fulfil build orders across your empire.
- Tribes. Meet the tribes that share your world, barter for what you need, and unlock their distinctive characters.
- Specialists. Recruit and level specialists whose skills shape how your settlements produce and prosper.
- Realms & regions. Extend your influence from a single town across regions and realms as your empire grows.
- Play at your own pace. No reflexes, no countdowns, no stress — drop in for a few calm minutes whenever the day allows.
Screenshots & artwork.
Free to use in coverage of Merchant. Right-click or use the download links to save full-resolution files.
Key art
Logo & app icon
The Merchant seal, as used on the App Store and Google Play. Please keep the icon uncropped and unaltered.