New Product Research List
The New Product Research List opens from the Manufacturer’s Guide and shows every product you have not yet discovered — which turns research planning from guesswork into a decision you can actually make.
Opening it
Click the light bulb icon.
What it tells you about each product
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Invention status | Whether another company has already invented it — so you can put your research where a genuine first is still available. |
| Unlock date | For a product locked until a specific year, the year it opens for research. |
| Research prerequisites | What you must already have. Researching smartphones, for instance, requires prior knowledge of producing camera phones. |
What it changes
With all of that in one window you can:
- focus on high-priority products that match your company’s goals and strengths
- anticipate research opportunities before they unlock, rather than discovering them late
- allocate research resources against what is actually reachable