Whitethorn Games Launches APICO on Nintendo Switch, Unleashing the Swarm of Virtual Bees on Handheld

Whitethorn Games — publisher of cozy indie hits like Wytchwood, Lake, and Princess Farmer — and bee-veloper TNgineers are excited to announce that their bee-loved beekeeping sim, APICO, is available on Nintendo Switch today in North America and on June 8 in Europe and Australia. Now, portable players with an appetite for apiculture can collect, craft, and cultivate their way through the bevy of bee-omes in APICO! Cross-play is available for all consoles, allowing players to visit their friends’ farms on PC and other consoles for cooperative conservation!

“The reception to APICO so far is bee-yond what we could have hoped for,” said Dr. Matthew White, CEO of Whitethorn Games. “Now that the Switch version is in people’s hands, we hope that APICO’s bee conservation messaging will spread even further and promote a lot more good in the world.”

Watch the APICO Nintendo Switch launch trailer bee-low:

Combining resource gathering, biology, and minigames with ideas from both real-life and fantasy beekeeping and gardening, APICO will teach players about the ins-and-outs of maintaining a healthy hive and the importance of our irreplaceable pollinating pals. The islands of APICO were once abuzz with different species of bees, and it’s up to players to rediscover lost species, cross-breed new ones, and repopulate each unique bee-ome. Progressing further into the game may also uncover some forgotten secrets. But that’s none of our beeswax—

To learn more about how APICO and TNgineers are supporting bee conservation efforts, and if you’d like to help as well, visit http://apico.buzz/savethebees.

Key Features of APICO include:

• Breaking into Hives: It’s not as bad as it sounds! Collect materials, craft tools, and play fun beekeeping minigames to help rehome bees before releasing them back into the wild.
• It takes a Colony: Breed, collect, and conserve over 30 species of bees, like the Common Bee, the Forest Bee, and the Verge Bee. They’re all Queens in our book.
• Bee2C Marketing: Fund the family business by making and selling honey, Apicola, and other beekeeping products. You’ll be a bee-llionaire in no time!
• Cross-Pollination: Cross play with up to four players, regardless of where you purchase the game. Bees who work together, stay together!

APICO is now available on Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, itch.io, GameJolt, the Epic Games Store, and Humble Store, for $19.99 USD. 

To keep up with all things APICO, bee sure to follow the game on Twitter, Twitch, and Guilded, join the colony on Discord, and visit the official website. 

About Whitethorn Games

We’re an indie game publisher focusing on pleasant, cozy games that can be played in pieces, that require no special skills or knowledge, and that anyone can pick up and play. We’re believers in accessibility, inclusion, and widening the audience that gets to play. We like to consider ourselves the defenders of easy games. While our games might challenge you, they’ll respect your time, they’ll make sure you can play, and most importantly, they’ll never punish you. Learn more at https://whitethorngames.com/. 

About TNgineers

TNgineers was formed in 2020 when brothers Ell and Jamie decided to develop their own projects based on their love of casual and crafting games. Their goal is to design games that are relaxing, intriguing, and semi-educational. Ell builds nice things, and Jamie makes sure he breaks them. Learn more about TNgineers and their first game APICO, by visiting https://apico.buzz.