Evil Genius is back on Facebook of all places

Play the open beta

I love me some Evil Genius. Enough that I’m willing to try Evil Genius Online, which is Rebellion’s free-to-play approximation of the classic base-building game. It’s playable now in open beta on Facebook and while it’s got the usual baggage that goes along with Facebook gaming, it is still unmistakably Evil Genius. Not the total disaster it could’ve been, then.

“When we launched the closed beta, we made it a priority to reach out to fans of the 2004 Evil Genius PC game rather than a wider audience,” said Rebellion CEO and creative director Jason Kingsley in a press release. “I think it’s fair to say the Evil Genius community voiced some initial concerns about our direction, but it’s these same gamers that not only got behind the game, but played a big part in making it better.”

More than anything, playing this has given me the unshakable desire to go play the original.