Much is made about Canadian video game makers turning to original storytellers to get them away from fantasy storyworlds about zombies, snipers and slashers to more real world gameplay settings.

That day has arrived with mobile game developer XMG Studio pacting with indie producer Hungry Eyes Film and Television to launch the The Mu$ic Biz App for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch platforms.

Set to launch on Dec. 12, the mobile app gives gamers a chance to build their own hip hop record empires as virtual music moguls.

Hungry Eyes’ Sudz Sutherland, best known for movie and TV credits like The Phantoms and Home Again, said the Mu$ic Biz app, beyond building imaginary empires, is about encouraging online communities by marrying music content, real-life hip hop producers and mobile gaming.

“If you build it (a community) right, people will think its authentic,” Sutherland told Playback about allowing gameplayers to share their music and secure “likes” via social media.

“I want users to say to their friends, ‘look what I did’ as they share songs on Facebook,” he added.

After meeting with game developers at Toronto-based XMG, Sutherland proposed a Sim-style simulation game that copies real-life music industry elements like signing aspiring artists, producing music by mixing and matching available beats, and selling records.

The mobile app, which received $585,000 in investment from the Canada Media Fund, gets still more real-life as players get a chance to use music beats created by hip hop producers like Jake One, Marco Polo, Mr. Porter, Rich Kidd and Ryan Hemsworth.

Their signature music beat styles are routinely heard in the latest recordings of chart-topping performers like Drake, 50 Cent and Ghostface Killah.

The Mu$ic Biz game will be made available as a freemium app, or provided for free.

Game players will then be charged a premium fee for special content, like “hustle” points to increase their potential for music industry success and riches.

Sutherland is betting his mobile app will prove addictive to hip hop lovers who scan the music empire they’re building online, and find a need for artists on their roster to create more music tracks, spend more time in the gym or do media interviews.

And in the process, the most loyal and engaged players of the Mu$ic Biz app may feel compelled to purchase merchandise like t-shirts and other swag to increase the return on investment for financial backers.

Ultimately, Sutherland aims at building an online community that uses available beats on Mu$ic Biz to spawn the next Drake or Justin Bieber.

“That’s my dream, to have a star come out of the Mu$ic Biz,” the filmmaker said, before getting back to the more pressing logistics of launching a mobile app into a highly competitive global market.