If you're a fan of The Movies, cinema in general, or lighter tycoon games, I have some good news for you - Moviehouse - The Film Studio Tycoon has announced a release date. Inspired by Lionhead's The Movies, this is a game that aims to put you in the director and producer's chair to run your own film studio, starting in the 80s through to the current day.
When Moviehouse releases on April 5th, you can expect a game that lets you manage many of the aspects of running a film studio, from writing a script to casting, to props, and even sets. It's all showcased in the style of a miniature set like those used in filmmaking. Based on the demo released last year, the gameplay loop feels somewhat like Game Dev Tycoon, as you manage the different aspects and your employees do work based on their skills, but they bring you in to make choices on key matters, set priorities, and direct things overall.
You'll make posters, send films to festivals, and grow your studio from a small amateur film geek's trailer to potentially being the new emperor of media, ready to fight the big Mouse over at Disney, if such a thing isn't a futile endeavor. If you want to see what it looks like, watch the new gameplay trailer below:
If you're looking for the machinima side of The Movies, sadly being an indie game with a focused scope, Moviehouse doesn't have that second arrow in its quiver. Instead, it wants to be the best film tycoon game it can be, and perhaps if it succeeds at doing well we may see EA or someone else (possibly even Moviehouse's creators) take up the challenge of doing it all.
Moviehouse is releasing on April 5th, and is available to wishlist right now on Steam, and GOG.