Robin Games launches PLAYHOUSE, an interior design game you can both play and buy

Female-led mobile games startup Robin Games has raised funds around the idea of ​​carving out a new niche in the "lifestyle games" market. ". The idea, the company explained during its public debut in 2020, was to create a more sophisticated and elegant fantasy gaming experience - something more in line with the type of content you'd typically find in a lifestyle magazine or profile. an Instagram influencer. . Today, the startup releases its first title to tackle this concept with the launch of a mobile game, PLAYHOUSE, which combines both gameplay and shopping in a single experience.

Available on iOS and Android, PLAYHOUSE is a DIY design game that allows players to drag and drop furniture and decorations into spaces to create original looks for rooms using items such as murals , sofas, chairs, tables, plants and more. . That alone doesn't make the app unique - the interior design genre is a popular subgenre in the Simulation Games category on today's app stores where competitors like Playtika's Redecor, SayGames' Decor Life - Home Design Game and Crowdstar's Design Home: Dream Makeover can be found in the Top Charts.

Instead, where PLAYHOUSE differentiates itself from others is in both its technology and its partnerships.

The company lets users drag and drop pieces into space, but also move, rotate, resize, and even layer items while styling space much more freely than some other games do. allow. Additionally, the company is working with real-life furniture brands to make its in-game items purchasable in real life.

At launch, PLAYHOUSE offers shopping experiences that connect players to brands like Arhaus, Article, 1stDibs, Chairish, One Kings Lane, ABC Carpet & Home, Jenni Kayne, Society6, Bloomscape, Room & Board and Lulu & Georgia, among others. In other words, the purpose of the game is not only to provide a creative outlet for fans of art and interior design, but also to foster the discovery of new furniture and decor.

Image credits: Robin Games

Robin Games says that at launch, there are over 6,000 real furniture and decor items available from over 100 interior design brands available in the app. Players can choose to purchase the actual items they use to create their designs by visiting the retailer's website.

This concept is a bit like Pinterest's new collage-making app, Shuffles, which lets its players create personalized art experiences using their own photos and Pinterest pins. While the Shuffles app is primarily used as a creative tool before posting to TikTok or Instagram, the items featured in the collages link to their pin's page on Pinterest – where they also link to the retailer's website and can be purchased, such as GAME HOUSE.

"One of the main reasons we wanted to create PLAYHOUSE, and 'Lifestyle Games' in general, is because we see a hole in the market for truly expressive and creative games," said Jill Wilson , co-founder and CEO of Robin Games. Tech Crunch. "It's unusual to think of a game focused on interior design as a fantasy game, but we do - it's a different type of fantasy than what's typically explored in games. Designing spaces with beautiful rooms as if you were an interior designer is a real-world fantasy for many people, and our company is dedicated to giving gamers that experience,” she added.

Additionally, PLAYHOUSE users can submit their projected design to be rated by other players, earning tickets...