News Tower

News Tower is a newspaper management simulation video game from Sparrow Night, an indie studio based in Rotterdam, and published by Twin Sails Interactive. The game launched in Steam Early Access for PC and Mac on February 13, 2024, with its full release following on November 18, 2025.

Set in 1930s New York City during the Great Depression and Prohibition, players take on the role of a newspaper publisher who inherits a struggling Brooklyn paper from an uncle. The goal is to turn it into a media empire. Gameplay blends tycoon management, resource allocation, and narrative choices. Players recruit and oversee staff such as reporters, photographers, typographers, janitors, advertisers, and lawyers.

They search for stories ranging from major historical events to minor local tales, choosing angles that either uphold journalistic integrity or bow to pressure from factions like the mafia, the mayor, the military, and high society—who may offer rewards for favorable coverage. A tower-building mechanic lets players design and optimize their headquarters floor by floor, managing printing presses, break rooms, and other facilities while balancing employee well-being, production efficiency, and weekly deadlines to expand readership across New York’s districts.

Development began in late 2018 when Jan-Maarten Nachtegeller, a veteran game developer, teamed up with Stefan Rijsmus, founder and creative director of the design and technology studio Studio Nul. The partnership officially started in early 2019, and the team grew to include additional developers and an illustrator. The concept for News Tower stemmed from contemporary media concerns: Nachtegeller cited inspiration from the relationship between press and public during the 2016 U.S. elections, particularly the rise of fake news discourse and growing skepticism toward traditional outlets in the Netherlands.

The four-person Rotterdam-based team chose Early Access to incorporate community feedback. The studio describes its mission as creating games that are “smart, welcoming, and immersive,” blending entertainment with educational elements. The Early Access version covered 1930 to 1935, while the full release spans the entire decade through 1939. Planned additions for the full version included a competitor system, extra NPC questlines, and an endless mode beyond the campaign timeline.