In terms of gameplay will Cities XL have a campaign mode or will it be completely freeform?

Cities XL is a no ending game, that is what makes the game so appealing and gives such a long lifespan. Players can define their goals depending on their interests: either they can specialize the economics of their city, try to achieve the most inhabitants possible, try to have the most beautiful city etc. If you decide to take your game online, we will also regularly organize competitions through which players can measure with each other.

What sort of factors will the player have to keep track of in order for their city to grow and prosper?

It's the classic city builder mechanics: When developing their cities, players will have to monitor the economic balance between the public sector they fully control and the private sector (Industries and people) that they indirectly can influence. If the balance is right the player will have the means to develop their city further.

A big innovation of Cities XL is the GEMs (Gameplay Extension Modules) which are tycoon games allowing the player to take control of a private company or activity. He will swap his mayor hat for the one of a CEO. The performance of its GEM has of course an impact in the city it is part of.

The Ski Resort GEM will have players building a ski paradise. Players don't just plop down a GEM and "go," they'll need to design the ski trails, hire staff, maintain the resort, offer amenities, etc. The better the resort is designed and maintained, the more tourists that will come and spend money there. In Planet Mode (the MMO component) players will of course compete for tourists at planet level.
The game also has a persistent online aspect. What can you tell us about this?

Certainly, this is called the "Planet Offer." The Planet Offer will combine massively multiplayer online gameplay with social networks and community features to give the players the possibility to explore new avenues with the help of others. . The Planet Offer will be made available to interested players for a low fee, as we want to attract as many people as possible. Once you sign up for the offer, you'll be able to trade resources with other players, post to your own web page and blog, visit other players' cities and have full 3D in-game chat. Players will be able to participate in events and competitions which we will organize, but they can also interact with GEMs. For example, say I build a car that I need to sell hundreds of to make my car factory profitable – I can ask you if I can advertise in your city. If you let me, you might start seeing my car in your city.

I'd also like to call out the player blog/web page, as it's a really cool feature. On your player page we will upload all your game stats and you'll get a personal blog that you can use to post your in-game achievements, discuss the game, etc. You can also post screenshots and videos straight from the game to this blog, thus showing off your current creations. More importantly the game continues on the web and you can keep track of your projects, make contracts and deals from every computer in the world. .

The Planet Offer is not required to play the game – solo gamers can just buy Cities XL and play it just by themselves if they prefer. We created the Planet Offer for those gamers looking for a more engaging, more social network-themed experience, but like I said – if you prefer to play solo, you can, and you'll still get a lot of enjoyment from the game.