No one talks about this, but proper water cooler placement is the cornerstone of running a successful newspaper. A water cooler in the wrong place means reporters, typesetters, and support staff will be less likely to use it, and if it’s not in a comfortable spot to begin with, just walking to the fountain can put them in a bad mood on the way. Then when it breaks down, your repair person’s productivity will tank while they fix, leaving the printer in bad shape when it’s press time, costing you subscribers and revenue from a subpar issue. At least, that’s what I learned from News Tower’s version of the newspaper business, which combines fiddly workplace management with the actual work of reporting.
After launching on Steam Early Access in 2024, News Tower hits 1.0 on November 18. Set in the 1930s, it tells the story of the rise (and possibly fall) of an upstart paper growing from a niche one-sheet in Brooklyn to the biggest publication in New York City. After inheriting the business, your job is to build the headquarters of the operation to maximize efficiency while sending reporters out to get scoops on the most important stories of the day.
