Wildly immoral tinseltown builder Hollywood Animal hits early access in January 2025

I missed the opportunity to write about Hollywood Animal when a certain Nic Reuben swooped in like a rival showbiz talent scout and took the summer Steam Fest demo from me while I was stuck in an airport. Instead, I ended up writing about a rather rude Minesweeper “homage”. Hopefully, it turned out for the best.

But now, it’s my chance to share my thoughts as developers Weappy Wholesome have announced the early access release date for Hollywood Animal: January 16th, 2025. To mark the occasion, they have also released a new and quite lengthy trailer. So, grab a scotch and a cigar, and enjoy the show.

As the title suggests, Hollywood Animal is a tycoon game where you establish your own film studio during the era of sound cinema. You’ll purchase and decorate buildings like script and post-production departments, hire actors, writers, producers, and other staff, and start creating movie magic.

It’s a complex game that goes beyond just production details. You can send private investigators to gather information on troublesome employees, bribe the mayor to turn a blind eye to your misdeeds, strategically time and market your movie releases after studying your competitors’ projects, or even call in the mafia to clear your schedule. This is Hollywood’s “golden age” in a sense that it’s glamorous, ruthless, and cutthroat.

Although Nic may have stolen the demo write-up, his review is quite entertaining. “Each film is rated for both ‘audience approval’ and ‘artistic appeal’,” he pointed out. “This may seem like a strict binary, but remember, this was before Boss Baby, so no one knew you could excel in both aspects.”

The developers describe it as “a box of spiders disguised as a tycoon game”. Kudos to whoever came up with that line. I wish it had been me. And if you need more persuasion, a new demo is set to be released in December.