Blockbuster Inc. — Everything We Know

Listen up, movie buffs — Super Sly Fox is heading up a new game, and it’s looking like a well overdue spiritual successor to The Movies and, more recently, Moviehouse: A Film Tycoon Simulator. Add the fact that it also takes a page out of Maxis’ The Sims’ book, and what we’re left with is a surprisingly familiar yet ever so sprightly sandbox sim. That’s Blockbuster Inc., in a nutshell, and we’re all for the idea of delving into it later this year.

So, what more do you need to know about it, other than its enthusiasm for Hollywood and the bright lights that power its infrastructure? Well, here’s everything we’ve been able to gather on the matter since first hearing of it earlier this week. Blockbuster Inc.: what is it, and why should you be keeping tabs on it as it preps for a loose 2023 launch?

What Is Blockbuster Inc.?

Blockbuster Inc. is an upcoming city-building management sim that tasks you with constructing a movie lot, hiring actors, and producing award-winning films that are fit to conquer the red carpet. With a sandbox building style in the same vein as The Sims, you will have the opportunity to build rooms and kit them out with all the tools needed to produce movie magic. From there, it seems anything will be possible, and that, with a little creativity, your inner Spielberg will come to life.

According to Super Sly Fox: “In Blockbuster Inc. you will take total control of your very own movie studio. You will be able to construct all the facilities, hire and manage all sorts of employees and stars with the aim to produce the most prolific films and TV.” So, quite a lot like The Movies, then? So much, that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to picture it as anything more than a ten-second love letter.

Story

One quick look at the blurb will inform you that the story, as elementary as it is, will be taking you on a one-way trip through the golden age of cinema. As an up-and-coming studio hand, you will shovel through the eras, doing all in your power to keep on top of trends, and produce movies that pertain to what’s in and what’s profitable. Apart from that, the story is really whatever you make of it; there are no right or wrong moves to consider.

Of course, being a game with a blatant sandbox exterior, it goes without saying that you and you alone will mold the narrative. And while we can certainly expect to see some drawn-out objectives in each decade, chances are the bulk of the story will be tailored by your own two hands. So, if you’re wanting to take matters into your own hands, then there’s no doubt about it — Blockbuster Inc. will provide just that.

Gameplay

True to the sandbox genre, Blockbuster Inc. will provide an “intuitive and deep construction system” that “allows you to plan, build, decorate, clone and expand your studio with ease. What’s more, you’ll be able to “link your road system, landscape the lot and create a smooth utility system to get the best out of your employees.”

Outside of the construction side of things, gameplay will also involve managing the actual studio—a monumental task that includes hiring staff, juggling finances, and finding award-winning material to capture and port over to the big screen. And then, if that wasn’t enough, there’ll be personalities to factor in, emotions to maintain, and traits to build on or abandon. And they said building a movie set would be easy.

In addition to the movies you’ll be directing, you’ll also have to foot the bill for a line of network TV shows, too. And not only will you have to pay the bills, but control “different phases and parameters” that range from the actors you hire to the sets you build, the stunts you factor in to the outfits you fashion. No pressure, then?

Development

Super Sly Fox announced Blockbuster Inc. at the beginning of April, at which point it claimed it would be developing a “one-of-a-kind experience” that would be unlike any other game we’ve seen in the past decade. And while it has yet to live up to that rather weighty promise, the cards the studio has managed to slot in place to date have certainly gone on to receive nothing but high praise on all accounts.

Since making the announcement, Super Sly Fox has maintained a journal—a devlog, of sorts, that provides fans of the upcoming game with various updates on its features and hotfixes. You can see it for yourself here.

Trailer

Ready to grace the red carpet with your presence? If so, then you’ll no doubt be wanting to see the action firsthand? Well, thanks to Super Sly Fox, such footage already exists, and it’s surprisingly jam-packed full of gameplay and other goodies. Need we say more? You can see the trailer for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Blockbuster Inc. will be coming to PC via Steam at some point in 2023. It hasn’t been said yet whether or not it’ll arrive on Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch. If anything of the sort does get announced, then chances are it’ll be over on its official site here.

Sad news, collectors — Blockbuster Inc. doesn’t, at least to our knowledge, have any special or deluxe editions outside of its standard one on Steam. Nevertheless, you can go ahead and add it to your wishlist here.

For more updates on Blockbuster Inc., you can follow the official social feed here. If anything pops up ahead of its eventual launch, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Blockbuster Inc. when it drops later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.