The Executive – Movie Industry Tycoon Review : Movie Moguls Making Moolah! (PC)

Tycoon games have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. The thrill of building an empire from scratch and mastering all the little details keeps me coming back for more. Naturally, when The Executive: Movie Industry Tycoon landed on my radar, I was excited to dive in. Set in 1970, the game lets you ride the waves of Hollywood—or Chinese cinema—turning a small, one-person studio into a blockbuster powerhouse. But like any good tycoon game, success isn’t just about big dreams—it’s about sweating the small stuff.

Managing employees, scouting actors and directors, and balancing budgets are just the tip of the iceberg in The Executive. There’s a satisfying rhythm to juggling all these moving parts, and it’s easy to lose track of time as you fall into the groove. However, the game isn’t always forthcoming about how some features work, especially in pre and post-production. Trial and error becomes your best friend, and while that can be engaging, it’s frustrating when the tutorials leave you hanging.

Time is always a precious resource, but in The Executive, it’s downright critical. Between Oscar season deadlines and production management, you’ll be racing the clock to keep your studio afloat. Bugs can also throw a wrench into your plans; I encountered a few freezes and an issue with the money display that made budgeting a guessing game. Still, the experience is undeniably addictive and hard to put down.

The Executive – Movie Industry Tycoon is available February 11, 2025 on Steam for $14.99.

Story – Craft Your Hollywood Legacy

The Executive: Movie Industry Tycoon doesn’t have a traditional story—but that’s exactly the point. As the mastermind behind your own movie studio, the story is yours to create. You’ll design your CEO, name your company, and decide whether you’re gunning for box-office dominance with adrenaline-pumping action flicks or carving out a niche with spine-chilling horror films. Whatever path you choose, understanding your genre is key—because you’re not the only studio vying for audience attention.

As time marches on, the world around your studio evolves. The Executive keeps you on the pulse of cinema history, from technological innovations like television deals and home video to shifting star power. And yes, there are plenty of familiar-sounding knock-off celebs, like “Wugo Heaving” and “Gavid Alan Drier.” It’s charming in that classic video game way, a nod to players who’ve encountered a “Herlock Sholmes” or two.

However, if you’re hoping for juicy drama, you might be left wanting. The Executive doesn’t throw too many curveballs like temperamental directors or tabloid-worthy scandals. It’s more about navigating menus, setting up your productions, and—yes—waiting for the next box-office hit to roll in as you stare at progress bars.

There are plenty of big names to choose from, even from the Chinese market!

Gameplay – Lights! Camera! Spreadsheets!

The gameplay in The Executive: Movie Industry Tycoon is straightforward but far from simple. Once your studio is up and running, you’ll need to carefully manage your money to produce blockbuster films—or at least financially viable ones. Pick your genre and theme, then assemble the perfect cast and crew. It’s all about balance: weighing costs, interest in the script, critical acclaim, and popularity to find the right talent for the right job.

When you’re not focused on the silver screen, you’re dealing with office dynamics. Every employee has a “type,” and finding co-workers who click is essential for keeping morale up and turnover down. If you can maintain harmony, The Executive reveals the often-overlooked minutiae of the film industry: researching new genres and themes, negotiating distribution deals, and—most importantly—keeping your bottom line in the black to climb the Hollywood ladder.

As with any good tycoon game, the devil is in the details. The Executive provides a handy tutorial system that covers most mechanics… but not all. Figuring out the best actors or directors for your project is intuitive enough, but understanding how to allocate funding can be trickier. Through trial and error—and a lot of post-release analysis—you’ll start to grasp what each genre demands for pre and post-production. But some elements remain opaque, especially the “premium options.” Whether it’s hiring an accent coach, investing in green screens, or licensing music, it’s never quite clear how these perks impact your films. Intuition can only get you so far, leaving some frustration when it comes to perfecting your productions.

But the greatest sin of The Executive is its ending. While tycoon games often encourage replayability, this one shuts down rather abruptly. Around December 2020 in-game, the experience just stops without warning. You get a placating congratulatory screen about your impact on cinematic history, complete with a summary score—even if that ‘impact’ involved a studio teetering on the edge of ruin. Worst of all, I had two amazing films ready to release, finally understanding the mechanics and starting to turn things around. But after that screen? The game kicks you straight back to the main menu. No option to continue your progress, no endless mode to see your empire flourish—just game over. It’s a buzzkill of a finale that undermines everything you’d worked toward.

You can spend research points to learn about new movie themes.

Graphics & Audio – Box Office Aesthetics, Indy Darling Budget

It’s a tycoon game—if you’re here for killer graphics, you’re in the wrong place. The Executive nails a clean, functional aesthetic that evokes the feel of the movie business without straining your system. Most visuals lean heavily on menus and simple environments, and none of the NPCs even have faces. Still, for a game where you’re mostly making executive decisions, the minimalist look works. It gets the job done without any distractions, so the need for glitz and glamor is – ironically – low.

On the audio front, The Executive sticks to the genre formula. Think The Sims, but with a little less pep. The music provides a light, cinematic vibe when you’re starting out. This gracefully fades into the background as you lose yourself in studio management. It doesn’t demand your attention or get on your nerves—it’s just there, doing its job like a dutiful background extra.

Neither the graphics nor the audio are groundbreaking, but that’s not a knock. Tycoon games thrive on engagement with systems and strategy, not visual dazzle or an award-winning score. In that regard, The Executive delivers what you’d expect, no more and no less.

The Executive – Movie Industry Tycoon was reviewed on PC with review key provided by JF Games PR.