Railroad Tycoon 2 had an interesting story by itself: It was originally not named Railroad Tycoon at all, as it was built by a very different company, PopTop So

Railroad Tycoon 2 had an interesting story by itself: It was originally not named Railroad Tycoon at all, as it was built by a very different company, PopTop Software, based in a St Louis suburb. Close to release they managed to get the license, and IMO the name recognition really helped a very good game. The same team moved on to make Tropico and Railroad Tycoon 3, both of which made plenty of money. They didn't do quite so well after that, and what was left of the studio was relocated and eaten by Firaxis.