Activision has announced a multiyear publishing deal with Peter Molyneux that gives the publisher the worldwide rights to The Movies, which is expected to be published for the PC and consoles in 2004. The deal gives Activision the option to publish sequels and add-on products for the game as well.

　　In development at Lionhead Studios, The Movies will give players the opportunity to create a financially and critically successful movie studio. The game starts out in 1920s period of silent films and continues through to the present and beyond, as new technologies and changing tastes introduce new challenges to prospective filmmakers. The player will control both the creative and financial sides of running a studio, choosing scripts, hiring directors, and seeing the production smoothly to opening night.

　　"Peter is undoubtedly one of the most talented video game designers in the world, and Lionhead is one of the very few development studios with the knowledge and resources to develop a game that will allow players to fulfill the fantasy of building a movie empire," said Larry Goldberg, executive vice president of Activision Worldwide Studios.

　　For more details, check out our early coverage of the PC version of the game.