- DevLog #6: Polishing for a Purer Product - 26 June 2026
Hey everyone, back again for another dev log! As of last month, we completed all the backend systems that will be included in the initial release of Becoming Pablo. From here until we are ready to release, we are focusing exclusively on polish and adding interesting complexity and player decision making to already existing systems. The UI has also undergone a significant facelift in both thematic and immersive terms, and as discussed last time, we are continuing to build out our enemy AI systems to make sure you feel like you are truly up against cunning opponents.First, let's talk about UI. As seen in these screenshots, we have reskinned the UI all throughout the game to have a uniform look and present a gritty feel to managing your drug empire. We have overhauled our UI several times before, but now that we have a full picture of what the game needs, we feel confident that this is the…
- The Books Are Closed - 23 June 2026
The books are closed.Steam Next Fest has come to an end.A week ago, Becoming Pablo entered its first festival with more questions than answers.Today, the picture is much clearer.Empires rose. Territories changed hands. Plans unraveled. New opportunities emerged.A great deal was learned over the past week, and the intel gathered is already shaping what comes next.For now, the operation continues.More updates, community events, and news on the next phase of Becoming Pablo will be shared in the weeks ahead.Stay close.The next move is already being planned.
- Join Us For A Special Becoming Pablo Livestream! - 16 June 2026
Hey everyone!We're thrilled to announce a special livestream event for Becoming Pablo during Steam Next Fest! Our very own Game Director will be joined by co-founder Jay for another exciting playing session with the community. This is a fantastic opportunity to see more of the game, get insights directly from the creators, and perhaps even catch some never-before-seen gameplay.We'll be showcasing new features, delving into the game's mechanics, and sharing some behind-the-scenes stories. We encourage you to come prepared with your questions, as we'll be doing a live Q&A throughout the stream. We love interacting with our community and hearing your thoughts on Becoming Pablo.The livestream link will be posted right here as soon as it's available, so keep an eye out! Make sure to add Becoming Pablo to your wishlist if you haven't already, so you don't miss out on any news or the game's of…
- Let's Play Becoming Pablo - 16 June 2026
Talk to our Game Director and watch us play the game!Ask us any questions you may have.Link to the livestream: https://steamcommunity.com/broadcast/watch/76561198086043143
- DevLog #5: A Focus on Sandbox Mode for Becoming Pablo - 27 April 2026
Hey everyone! Since we are targeting a July Early Access release, we’ve been busy behind the scenes working continuously on improving gameplay and rounding out features. To that end, the team has been focused almost exclusively on our sandbox mode and have temporarily halted work on the campaign in order to ensure the core gameplay gets as much time as possible for refinement. In sandbox mode, you can choose one of several factions and their respective starting locations to begin a game and work your way through conquering the globe to become the premiere drug kingpin. Let’s dive into some details on what we’ve been working on in particular with sandbox mode. First, I’d like to mention that a new gameplay flow and economics of producing and selling your product is starting implementation. We no longer have an abstract UI where you control your exports as a whole, but rather you will now…
- Welcome to Becoming Pablo - 3 March 2026
Narcos, we've got some news… Today, we revealed a first-look trailer and new art assets for Becoming Pablo. We hope it gets you as enthusiastic about the game as it did for us. Let us know what you think! Becoming Pablo strips back the noise of drama and violence to focus on the strategy behind amassing power. The most dangerous moments are not the loud ones, but the quiet decisions that determine whether an empire survives or collapses. This is the undersung expertise of tycoons, drug lords, dons, and kingpins, alike. And our experience will go beyond the empire of Pablo. We’ll offer up characters and maps across Colombia, Nigeria, and Korea as you network globally. If you like games with strategy, city-building, and resource management, please give Becoming Pablo a wishlist! You can follow us on X and Reddit and join our Discord. We can’t wait to show you more. Like we always say, sta…
- Developer Q&A with Game Director Priyank Singh - 29 January 2026
Hello Narcos, With our team deep in the dev work, we wanted to bring you a peek into the process of building Becoming Pablo and introduce you to more of our team. Here’s a Q&A with our Game Director, Priyank Singh. Q: Tell us more about your role and how you got started with Becoming Pablo?A: As the Game Director at Tentworks, my role is to maintain the creative vision and overall direction for Becoming Pablo. When Jay, the founder of Tentworks, approached me with the concept, I was intrigued by the idea of exploring a cartel-themed base-building and grand strategy game set in the 1970s. We started with the core idea that player choices should be impactful and lead to emergent gameplay. Q: What made the team pursue a strategy and city builder game? What similar games have provided inspiration? A: We found that the grand-strategy and city-building genres were the perfect fit to represent…
- Playtest Coming Dec 5 for Becoming Pablo - 4 December 2025
Seeking Narcos. A new opportunity has presented itself, if you choose to accept. The Becoming Pablo playtest is seeking “entrepreneurial” leaders for a global enterprise. In the playtest, you will lead a cartel by conquering new territories, managing operations, and outsmarting your rivals.Key updates can be found below. We recommend you read them before embarking on your mission.What’s new to Becoming Pablo:More Developed Diplomacy & Espionage System - engage more meaningfully with factions while managing heat and loyalty, deal outcomes, risk, relationship changes and consequences. Espionage operations are improved with better flow, logic, animations and spy events.Redesigned Battle System - a newly implemented turn-based battle system with clear combat flow and decision making, new leader abilities, and reworked unit behaviors.Improved Secondary Camps & HQ Interaction - interactions f…
- DevLog #4: Design Devlog 1 - How Becoming Pablo Came to Be - 8 July 2025
Hey everyone, I’m Priyank Singh - the Game Director at Tentworks Interactive. I am heading the design division which takes care of implementing gameplay, narrative, assets, and campaign missions alongside balancing the game’s myriad systems. I’m excited to shed some light on our design process for Becoming Pablo, a game that blends the hands-on fun of base building with the deep challenge of grand strategy. After honing my skills at Zynga, I now lead a talented team crafting ambitious strategy titles. In this devlog, I’ll take you behind the scenes of Becoming Pablo; breaking down our design experiments, player feedback loops, and the creative chaos that brought it to life.Discovering the OpportunityLike many other game developers, our journey kicked off with love for the genre paired with some market research. We noticed two things: first, there’s an appetite for new ideas in the grand…
- Becoming Pablo DevLog #3 - Trials, Errors, and Cooking: The Art of Game Dev - 20 March 2025
https://framerusercontent.com/images/MPshDuGJe6oQAVl44CMy77L2rw.png?scale-down-to=1024 So… guess it’s my time for confessing, huh? Name’s Rado. I am the art director of Becoming Pablo and a living relic of game dev in the team (by all means, feel free to throw sweets and booze onto this one). I am a foreign addition from Poland, domesticated by the Tentworks team. How It All Started The very first game I worked on was more like a “hey, it’s vacation time, we have $200 and pocket money from our parents, let’s make a game and get rich” amateur project by some me and some US students, back in 1996. At the time I was too dumb to know better than to not engage in adventures like that. On the other hand - if it’s true that we learn from our mistakes - recounting the number of ones I did during the last 30 years I’d like to think I’m quite ‘learned’. I began my game dev road in quite an unusua…
- The First Taste of Power Ends Here... for Now. - 5 February 2025
Our Becoming Pablo Closed Alpha has officially ended. You built your empire, made your moves, and got a glimpse of the power that awaits. Some of you ruled with an iron fist, others played the long game—but every decision shaped your legacy. This was just the beginning. Your feedback, strategies, and unexpected plays have given us invaluable insight as we continue shaping the game. The road to launch is long, but with you by our side, it’s only getting stronger. Want to stay in the loop and be part of what comes next? Join our Discord and our other socials to connect with fellow kingpins, discuss your strategies, and get exclusive updates. El camino sigue… The road continues. 🔥
- Becoming Pablo DevLog #2 - Marketing an Indie Strategy Game in 2025 - 12 December 2024
Hola, Becoming Pablo community!And future dons of cartels, I wanted to share how we’re capturing attention for a project we’re incredibly excited about. How do you get players to check out your game—often an expensive endeavour—without, you know, actually selling drugs in real life? This devlog is a special one: we’re diving into the incredible experience we had at Gamescom 2024 (the world’s largest gaming trade show) and sharing what lies ahead for our game. Whether you’re a fan, a fellow developer, or part of the industry, there’s something for everyone in this update. Vamos! https://framerusercontent.com/images/Ox5bIepnwqCW7hVPvAXtobvm4.jpg Gamescom 2024: Why We Went Back This August, we had the privilege of attending Gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Germany, at the iconic Koelnmesse. It had been five long years since our last visit, and the scale of the event left us in awe. From new genre…
- Becoming Pablo DevLog #1 – Behind the Code with Gary, Lead Programmer - 29 November 2024
https://framerusercontent.com/images/03NdYMXv5mKkXoxsdX1fXebNtY.png Introduction and Project Background Hi everyone, my name is Gary and I’m the lead programmer for Becoming Pablo at Tentworks Interactive! I am excited to get into talking a bit about the behind-the-scenes work we do here to make the game tick. To start off I’d like to give a bit of background on the project. Past Challenges with City Block Builder I started at Tentworks several years ago working on our last project, City Block Builder. The project itself was immensely fun to work on. Unfortunately, we ran into too many challenges while building the game and achieving its vision. One key point was that we simply did not have enough manpower to get what we wanted done. For some time, I was actually the only programmer on the team! https://framerusercontent.com/images/YkauW55NsRcU3qd0RBqNZzBgevE.png The Birth of Becoming P…
- Closed Alpha Is Here! - 29 November 2024
🎉 The SOON is NOW! 🎉 Hey everyone, It’s finally here—the Becoming Pablo Closed Alpha is LIVE! 🚀 We’re so pumped to have you with us at this stage. Your feedback is going to be the key to making the game truly great, so don’t hold back. Whether it’s something you loved, something that didn’t quite feel right, or even a crazy idea you’ve got—we want to hear it all. Head over to the feedback channel and share your thoughts! This is your space to chat, suggest, and tell us exactly how we can improve. We’re all in this together, and we’re here to listen every step of the way. 💬 If you signed up through the Google Form, check your email for your Closed Alpha access. Else, you can request access through our Steam page. A few quick things to keep in mind: This is an early version of the game, so you may encounter bugs or features that aren’t fully polished yet. Some content is still being…
