Intopia

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Intopia is a simple, strategic management simulation used in many college courses to teach how multinational companies compete. In the game, up to four imaginary nations exist in a single world. Groups of participants (from 9 to 100+ people, split into 3–25 teams) run a company and decide what to do for current and future periods. They get immediate feedback on their choices, helping them learn quickly.

The tool is used in universities around the world, including many in the United States. The modern version, INTOPIA, first released in 1995 after about seven years of development by a team led by Hans Thorelli, Robert Graves, and Juan-Claudio Lopez, builds on the earlier INTOP mainframe game from 1963.

Intopia’s world has four regions and up to four currencies. Several competing firms can exist, and each may produce up to two types of durable products, called Xs and Ys (which can stand for different items). Companies must plan for both current and future periods. Decisions can include launching new products, research and development, increasing production, market research, and setting prices and promotions. Firms can also trade with each other, buying and selling goods, and may offer services like insurance, financial or analytical services, or license new products to earn revenue. All decisions affect a company’s profits when the period ends.