The annual Fellow Traveller Publisher Sale is now on - and to celebrate, Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is 70% off!

Take me to the Publisher Sale There are plenty more Fellow Traveller titles on sale to choose from - so whether you're looking for something new, a bargain, some cool soundtracks and bundles, or even something to play on Steam Deck, we're sure to have something just for you.

We're also thrilled to announce that three new games are joining the Fellow Traveller family; Scrabdackle, Wander Stars and Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo - read up on each of them below!

• Wander Stars: Follow the story of Ringo and Wolfe as they join forces to collect the pieces of the Wanderstar Map in this turn-based RPG with roguelite elements! Use words to create your own fighting techniques, befriend your rivals, and explore the universe in an adventure inspired by 90s anime.
• Scrabdackle: As a novice wizard, discover the intricate world of Scrabdackle and experience the impact wizardkind has unknowingly had upon it. Scrabdackle is a hand-drawn, non-linear adventure with a vast, intricate overworld, tight and responsive combat, cheeky banter, and pages of lore to discover.
• Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo: A 3D adventure where you play as Kulebra, a dead snake with a heart of gold that wakes up in Limbo. Use your wits and keen eye to gather clues from the residents and find items that will help uncover the mystery of Limbo and its curse that traps souls into repeating the same day on loop.

So get exploring and grab some great narrative games!

[ 2023-09-18 17:00:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength is participating in this years LudoNarraCon sale which kicks off today and lasts until May 11th! It's the perfect time to grab a copy of Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength for 70% off! You can also browse hundreds of other great narrative game bargains HERE. While you're there, be sure to check out LudoNarraCon, the fifth annual digital festival held exclusively on Steam to celebrate narrative video games and the developers that make them. Behind the scenes content and live Q&As from over 40 exhibiting developers, all making story-rich games Over 35 narrative game demos to download and play, including some first-time demos just for the event! Get great discounts on more than 140 story-rich games in the LudoNarraCon sale Watch over 12 hours of original panels and fireside chats about narrative games and game development Get yourself a wallpaper pack to celebrate the event, featuring tons of cool art from your favourite narrative games Come celebrate awesome narrative games with us, and find your next favourite story. Sale ends 11th May, so don't delay!

[ 2023-05-04 19:00:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

LudoNarraCon is here! Explore exhibitor streams, play a demo (...or 20! ), learn something new with 14 hours of panels, or snag one of the 50+ games that's on sale. This free digital festival celebrates indie narrative games like our's: with over 40 exhibitors, there's something for everyone.
Start the next chapter of your next favorite game. There are over 20 demos for you to download and play during LudoNarraCon.,, all from the comfort of your own home. Begin your work to protect The Nation with the demo of Orwell: Keeping An Eye On You today.

Keep an eye on this Surveillance Stories bundle featuring four amazing games: Unheard, Do Not Feed the Monkeys, Beholder 2, and Orwell: Keeping An Eye On You. These limited time bundles are only available during LudoNarraCon! Our exhibitors, panelists, and partners have all pitched into the LudoNarraCon sale. Snag one of the fifty games on sale throughout the weekend.

[ 2020-04-24 17:21:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

LudoNarraCon panels are now live on ludonarracon.com
Topics include: Games as Storytelling Patrick Ewing (creative director of Chance Agency) Cassandra Khaw (scriptwriter at Ubisoft Montreal) Whitney Strix Beltran (narrative director at Hidden Path Entertainment) Romance in Games Tanya X. Short (Captain of Kitfox Games) Kate Gray (narrative designer at KO_OP) Nina Freeman (game designer at Fullbright) Writing for Short Games Ben Wander (founder of A Wandering Band) Bruno Dias (writer and narrative designer) Ryan Green (developer, co-founder of Numinous Games) Amy Green (writer, co-founder of Numinous Games) Death in Games Lottie Bevan (co-founder & COO of Weather Factory) Alexis Kennedy (co-founder of Weather Factory) Coyan Cardenas (director of Lambic Studios) Will O'Neill (founder of WZO Games) and more! Tune in when the fun starts, at 10am PDT on Friday May 10!

[ 2019-05-08 15:32:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

A whole bunch more games are exhibiting during LudoNarraCon!

Overland

Night Call

Not Tonight

Hiveswap: Act 1

Whispers of a Machine

and Hypnospace Outlaw

Check out the full, updated list of games you can see behind-the-scenes content for during LNC, on ludonarracon.com

[ 2019-05-01 21:23:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fellow Traveller presents #LudoNarraCon, hosted right here on Steam on May 10-13. Come celebrate narrative video games from around the world with us! Weve announced 16 of the exhibiting games to be featured: Neo Cab, Boyfriend Dungeon, Mutazione, Heavens Vault, The Church in the Darkness, Sunless Skies, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, Beholder, Genesis Noir, and more! Check out the full lineup on ludonarracon.com.
An initiative of indie label Fellow Traveller, LudoNarraCon is digital convention that aims to create a platform to showcase and celebrate interesting and innovative narrative games, replicating as many of the aspects and benefits of the physical convention experience as possible within a digital format. Learn more at ludonarracon.com!

[ 2019-04-16 15:07:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are beyond thrilled to announce LudoNarraCon
a new online-only convention coming this May, right here on Steam, celebrating narrative video games the people who make them, and the folks who love them. Join us for panels and other fun content with your favorite developers and influencers from the industry, as well as downloadable game demos that will be available ONLY during LudoNarraCon. Want to come? ITS FREE. Visit ludonarracon.com to sign up and let us know if youll attend, and to get updates on whos gonna be there & what games you can play!

[ 2019-03-12 15:03:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today our publisher, Surprise Attack Games, is relaunching as Fellow Traveller. To celebrate, Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength is on sale along with the rest of their catalogue. Check out their publisher sale page for all the details - https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/fellowtraveller. Here’s some more from the team at Fellow Traveller on what the change is all about: For the past seven years, our journey as a small indie publisher from the shores of Australia has been quite momentous. Today marks the biggest stop on that journey so far. A new name. A new vision. A chance for us to stand up and declare our love for games with something important, something special, something weird to say. Welcome to Fellow Traveller. From the dystopian worlds of Hacknet and Orwell, to our upcoming releases including Neo Cab, Genesis Noir and In Other Waters, Fellow Traveller is here to support developers that take a unique approach to narrative in games. If this sounds like your kind of jam, you can follow us on our Steam publisher page, join us in The Traveller's Tavern on Discord or sign up to our newsletter

[ 2018-07-26 00:45:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Agents, Please take note that our engineers have improved the Office Orwell client to increase usage comfort. Refer to the memo below for further details. Version 1.1.6717

Patch notes

Content changes

• Updated the mail subscription step in the profile creation to comply with GDPR laws.
• Updates websites are now put at the top of the bookmark list.
• Reworked notification system in the Insider: Now shows a red star notification on the app icon if a) a device got added or goes online or b) a datchunk gets unlocked or c) a bookmark is created that hasn't been visited yet.
• Improved the Influencer graph algorithm so that nodes should now be well spread over the whole area and make a twisted graph less likely.
• Spoiler Episode 3: [spoiler]All instances of the name 'Simos' are now usable as password.[/spoiler]

Technical fixes

• Fixed a bug where the font color of datachunks wasn't correctly set to black after loading, making them hard to read on some documents with bright or bluish colors.
• Fixed usable updates from the Profiler used in search slots occasionally weren't correctly greyed out indicating the usage.
• When logging out while a datachunk upload was active and logging in again the uploading overlay in the Profiler is no longer active.
• Voice over will no longer play while logging out.
• Now shows a caret in the profile creation name and email input fields.
• Fixed step 2 of the profile creation disappearing instantly instead of fading out when switching to next / previous steps.
• Fixed the Influencer graph fading out (became visible instantly and then faded out) despite it not being visible before in the first place.
• Fixed the Influencer animation being triggered after loading a savegame despite the previous upload already completed (when the game was saved).
• Fixed the blue upload arrow in the Influencer being erroneously displayed after having loaded a savegame.
• Fixed that updated Insider documents were always marked with a red outline after loading even though they had been visited before.
• Fixed a bug where the updated documents in the Insider where always marked as not visited after loading (e.g. history updates).
• Fixed a bug where the red notification icon stayed on the bookmark tab in the Insider, despite no new or unseen entries being present.
• (Linux) Fixed no overlay being displayed while a modal prompt was active.

Remain vigilant The Orwell Administration

[ 2018-05-24 15:08:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Agents, We have updated The Office client of Orwell to Version 1.1. This effort is meant to aid agents in their duties by notifying them better and allowing them to use multiple instances of the same information from the Profiler to achieve a certain effect. In addition we were able to identify and fix some technical issues with the client. Please refer to the memo titled "Version 1.1 - Patch notes" below for further details. We're planning to further improve the Orwell system in the future for an even better user experience. Please note: In case you have a relative and/or friend who would fit the Orwell program, or haven't applied for service yourself, application fees for Orwell are currently 20% off for a limited time period. Also, any persons not having fulfilled their duty as an investigator may now sign up for thae Bonton Bombings case (also known as "Keeping an Eye On You") at 50% of the usual fee. Orwell and The Office appreciate your ongoing efforts for The Nation. The Office Administration

Version 1.1 - Patch notes

Content changes

• Whenever new Datachunks in old documents appear, a notification star on the corresponding tool icon will appear (except when that tool is currently active).
• Fixed typos throughout the game.
• Spoiler Episode 1: [spoiler]Oleg's daughter is only called 'Radka' now. The name 'Radka' is now usable in Radka's profile as well as Oleg's contacts tab. Note this will not work in profiles already past Episode 1.[/spoiler]
• Spoiler Episode 2: [spoiler]The name 'Rowland Ellison' is now usable in Rowland's profile as well as Ilya's contacts tab. Note this will not work in profiles already past Episode 2.[/spoiler]
• Spoiler Episode 2: [spoiler]Reworked the Hand of Blood award photo on Ilya's PC. It now contains a new nickname for Ilya.[/spoiler]
• Spoiler Episode 2: [spoiler]Fixed that not all 'Mary P.' updates in Episode 2 could be used to find the corresponding opponent page on Hand of Blood. Note this will not work in profiles already past Episode 2.[/spoiler]
• Spoiler Episode 3: [spoiler]Ampleford will now hint more specifically to old Listener documents when new Datachunks appear there in the beginning of Episode 3.[/spoiler]
• Spoiler Episode 3: [spoiler]Fixed Ampleford's portrait appearing as David Johns' portrait in the Profiler.[/spoiler]
• Spoiler Episode 3: [spoiler]Fixed Nina getting killed in Episode 3 in imported savegames in which she originally survived and got arrested. Note this will only work in profiles created after the patch.[/spoiler]

Technical fixes

Fixed the intro not playing on some systems.

Fixed the original document still being accessible through arrow navigation on updates Insider documents on phones.

Removed duplicate names from ending credits roll.

Fixed the Influencer narrative typing animation stopping without the upload icon re-appearing when dragging a narrative while it was still being typed.

When logging out immediately after pressing "Upload" in the Influencer and logging in again afterwards, the profile previously went into a state where the narrative had been disabled, but not uploaded. This has been fixed.

[ 2018-05-08 11:33:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today's Deal: Save 20% on Orwell: Ignorance is Strength!*

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

*Offer ends Wednesday at 10AM Pacific Time

[ 2018-05-07 17:00:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Orwell fans, This is it. The final, dramatic conclusion to season two has arrived with the release of Episode Three: Synthesis. If you own the game, be sure to download the Steam update to unlock the episode in your game.
Episode Three: Synthesis turns up the heat and unlocks the Influencer tool. Not only will you be given the power to uncover facts, now you will influence the way they are presented. As a reminder, all of the content for Orwell: Ignorance is Strength and the official soundtrack has now been released. Purchasing or downloading the game or the soundtrack from today will include all the available content. We do hope you enjoy episode three, and the conclusion of season two. We’d love to know what you think of it all. Be sure to post your thoughts in the Community Hub on Steam or tweet us @orwell_game. One last, enormous thanks to you, our fans. Thank you all so much for playing, for getting into the episodic spirit, and for being so incredibly supportive! Protect The Nation! - Team Osmotic

[ 2018-03-22 15:02:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Orwell fans, This is it. The final, dramatic conclusion to season two has arrived with the release of Episode Three: Synthesis. If you own the game, be sure to download the Steam update to unlock the episode in your game.
Episode Three: Synthesis turns up the heat and unlocks the Influencer tool. Not only will you be given the power to uncover facts, now you will influence the way they are presented. As a reminder, all of the content for Orwell: Ignorance is Strength and the official soundtrack has now been released. Purchasing or downloading the game or the soundtrack from today will include all the available content. We do hope you enjoy episode three, and the conclusion of season two. Wed love to know what you think of it all. Be sure to post your thoughts in the Community Hub on Steam or tweet us @orwell_game. One last, enormous thanks to you, our fans. Thank you all so much for playing, for getting into the episodic spirit, and for being so incredibly supportive! Protect The Nation! - Team Osmotic

[ 2018-03-22 15:02:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey agents, we've just updated the game to Version 1.0.6642. This patch mostly addresses crashes and a locked "Upload complete" overlay that some of you have been experiencing. You can find the full patch notes below.

Patch notes Version 1.0.6642

Content changes

• SPOILER DAY 1: [spoiler]fixed debriefing in which Oleg was considered to being involved in the school bombing and not involved at the same time[/spoiler]
• SPOILER DAY 1: [spoiler]fixed an inconsistency in which Oleg's daughter's name didn't have to be uploaded before her presence on the day of the bombing could be evaluated[/spoiler]

Technical fixes and improvements

• fixed a bug where sometimes an uploading overlay would stay active after comments were blocked; this could previously block progress after the end of episode 1
• atmo music is now loaded on demand and streamed in order to reduce loading times and memory footprint; this should help avoid most crashes due to high memory usage

Thanks for your patience and sorry for any troubles you may have experienced! Team Osmotic

[ 2018-03-09 19:12:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey agents, we've just updated the game to Version 1.0.6642. This patch mostly addresses crashes and a locked "Upload complete" overlay that some of you have been experiencing. You can find the full patch notes below.

Patch notes Version 1.0.6642

Content changes

• SPOILER DAY 1: [spoiler]fixed debriefing in which Oleg was considered to being involved in the school bombing and not involved at the same time[/spoiler]
• SPOILER DAY 1: [spoiler]fixed an inconsistency in which Oleg's daughter's name didn't have to be uploaded before her presence on the day of the bombing could be evaluated[/spoiler]

Technical fixes and improvements

• fixed a bug where sometimes an uploading overlay would stay active after comments were blocked; this could previously block progress after the end of episode 1
• atmo music is now loaded on demand and streamed in order to reduce loading times and memory footprint; this should help avoid most crashes due to high memory usage

Thanks for your patience and sorry for any troubles you may have experienced! Team Osmotic

[ 2018-03-09 19:12:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Orwell fans! Season Two, Episode Two: Antithesis is out now! So, be sure to download the Steam update you’ve just been notified about for Orwell: Ignorance is Strength to unlock the episode in your game.
[Some mild spoilers:] Episode Two: Antithesis continues the investigation into controversial Pargesian blogger Raban Vhart. After the embarrassing events of episode one, The Office is under pressure to get results. Prime Minister Blaine is organising crisis talks with Parges, which Vhart plans to derail. The clock is ticking and the gloves are off. Clearance has been given to The Office to scrutinize the personal lives of those close to Vhart for any information that might undermine him or distract him from his plans. [End of spoilers] As a reminder, purchasing Orwell: Ignorance is Strength gives you access to ALL THREE EPISODES of Season Two as they unlock. As of today, the episode schedule now looks like this:

• Episode One: Thesis - Out now!
• Episode Two: Antithesis - Out now!
• Episode Three: Synthesis - March 22

We hope you’ve enjoyed episode one, and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about episode two. Be sure to post your thoughts in the Community Hub on Steam and tweet us @orwell_game. Once again, thank you for being amazing! Team Osmotic

[ 2018-03-08 16:00:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey Orwell fans! Season Two, Episode Two: Antithesis is out now! So, be sure to download the Steam update youve just been notified about for Orwell: Ignorance is Strength to unlock the episode in your game.
[Some mild spoilers:] Episode Two: Antithesis continues the investigation into controversial Pargesian blogger Raban Vhart. After the embarrassing events of episode one, The Office is under pressure to get results. Prime Minister Blaine is organising crisis talks with Parges, which Vhart plans to derail. The clock is ticking and the gloves are off. Clearance has been given to The Office to scrutinize the personal lives of those close to Vhart for any information that might undermine him or distract him from his plans. [End of spoilers] As a reminder, purchasing Orwell: Ignorance is Strength gives you access to ALL THREE EPISODES of Season Two as they unlock. As of today, the episode schedule now looks like this:

• Episode One: Thesis - Out now!
• Episode Two: Antithesis - Out now!
• Episode Three: Synthesis - March 22

We hope youve enjoyed episode one, and cant wait to hear what you have to say about episode two. Be sure to post your thoughts in the Community Hub on Steam and tweet us @orwell_game. Once again, thank you for being amazing! Team Osmotic

[ 2018-03-08 16:00:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello agents! First of all, thanks go out to each of you for your vigilance during the launch of Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength. The influx of new investigators was fantastic to see, and the discussions in the forums were a delight to read. We are happy that most of you are enjoying your employment in The Office, and we look forward to the launch of Episode Two next week! We would also like to address a concerns that a number of agents have expressed since launch - the episodic nature of Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength. When we released Orwell: Keeping An Eye On You, we found that the episodic release schedule helped to build and foster a community. Investigators were excited to log in every week, express their theories, and discover the multiple pathways through the episodes. It was like a special event, that only those first through the doors of Orwell Systems could experience. However, we now realise that a bulk of Orwell fans played the game in one sitting, binging it like a Netflix series. This is a total valid way to enjoy the experience, and it seems that for many of you, it is the preferred way to play. We tried to ensure we clearly messaged that Ignorance is Strength was an episodic title, however we realise that there are several ways we could have more clearly articulated this and have since updated the store page to further reflect that. As for the rest of the season, we will be releasing episode two on March 8th, and the final episode on March 22nd. At that point, we hope that those who have found the episodic release schedule not to their liking will be able to binge and see the thrilling conclusion. Your feedback has been valuable, and we will definitely go into future releases with this information in mind. Thanks to everyone for playing, sharing, talking, making videos and leaving reviews. We are so excited to deliver Episode Two, and can't wait to see those fan theories popping up across the internet. Stay vigilant! Team Osmotic

[ 2018-02-28 11:48:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello agents! First of all, thanks go out to each of you for your vigilance during the launch of Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength. The influx of new investigators was fantastic to see, and the discussions in the forums were a delight to read. We are happy that most of you are enjoying your employment in The Office, and we look forward to the launch of Episode Two next week! We would also like to address a concerns that a number of agents have expressed since launch - the episodic nature of Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength. When we released Orwell: Keeping An Eye On You, we found that the episodic release schedule helped to build and foster a community. Investigators were excited to log in every week, express their theories, and discover the multiple pathways through the episodes. It was like a special event, that only those first through the doors of Orwell Systems could experience. However, we now realise that a bulk of Orwell fans played the game in one sitting, binging it like a Netflix series. This is a total valid way to enjoy the experience, and it seems that for many of you, it is the preferred way to play. We tried to ensure we clearly messaged that Ignorance is Strength was an episodic title, however we realise that there are several ways we could have more clearly articulated this and have since updated the store page to further reflect that. As for the rest of the season, we will be releasing episode two on March 8th, and the final episode on March 22nd. At that point, we hope that those who have found the episodic release schedule not to their liking will be able to binge and see the thrilling conclusion. Your feedback has been valuable, and we will definitely go into future releases with this information in mind. Thanks to everyone for playing, sharing, talking, making videos and leaving reviews. We are so excited to deliver Episode Two, and can't wait to see those fan theories popping up across the internet. Stay vigilant! Team Osmotic

[ 2018-02-28 11:48:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is Now Available on Steam and is 10% off! Save an additional 10% if you own Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You*

Step into the shoes of a government official in a top-secret department of the Orwell surveillance program. Given the power to both uncover and fabricate "the truth", how far will you go in the service of your country? Season 2 of Orwell, the award-winning surveillance thriller.

*Offer ends March 1 at 8AM Pacific Time

[ 2018-02-22 17:00:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Season Two of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is out! Fans who own the original Orwell will receive an additional 10% off for Ignorance is Strength when they purchase. It's valid for one week only, so make sure you redeem it during launch week. The discount is added at checkout when you already own Season One. This will save you a total of 20%! For any new players who have not yet played Orwell, the Seasons Complete bundle is highly recommended as it includes Season One and Season Two, allowing you to pick up both games during launch week at an incredible price. Purchasing Orwell: Ignorance is Strength will give you access to all three bi-weekly episodes as they unlock, with Episode One: Thesis available to play now! As a reminder, here's the release schedule for when each episode will go live: Episode One: Thesis - Out now! Episode Two: Antithesis - March 8 @ 8am PST/5pmCET Episode Three: Synthesis - March 22 @ 8am PST/5pm CET Be sure to let your friends and followers know about the discounts while these great deals exist. And we look forward to hearing what you think about Episode One in the Community Hub on Steam and via social media. As always, we really appreciate your amazing support! -Team Osmotic

[ 2018-02-22 16:43:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi Orwell fans. We did it! Season Two of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is available to buy RIGHT NOW! Purchasing Orwell: Ignorance is Strength will give you access to ALL THREE BI-WEEKLY EPISODES as they unlock, with Episode One: Thesis is available to play now!
Be sure to check out all of the bundle deals available, too--one of which is the Deluxe Edition, which includes the game and official soundtrack. Fans who own the original Orwell should also find that they will receive an extra 10% off when arriving at the checkout (valid for one week only). So that you’re aware, episodes of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength go live as game updates and will release on these dates:

• Episode One: Thesis - Out now!
• Episode Two: Antithesis - March 8
• Episode Three: Synthesis - March 22

Get ready for a dark story of fake news, power and betrayal as you step into the shoes of a government official recruited to “The Office”, a top-secret department of the Orwell program. Through surveillance of phone calls, messages, websites, computers and mobile phones, you’ll choose what information is added to the Orwell system and what is not, influencing how characters are perceived and how the story unfolds. Set parallel to the events of the original game, Season Two will grant you access to an enhanced build of Orwell, able to go further and influence what information goes out to the public. Given the power to both uncover and fabricate “the truth”, you will ultimately have to decide whether the truth is sacred or ignorance is strength. In Episode One: Thesis, a political crisis threatens to plunge The Nation and its neighbour, Parges, into violent civil unrest. An officer of the Pargesian military has gone missing and the only clue is a phone call between the missing officer and Raban Vhart, a controversial Pargesian blogger now living in The Nation. With tensions rising between and within the two countries, you must investigate both the disappearance and Vhart in an attempt to diffuse the situation. We hope you love the experience that awaits you in episode one, and we can’t wait to roll out episodes two and three, where we continue to ratchet up the tension to the season’s dramatic conclusion. Be sure to let us know what you think of the first episode in the Community Hub on Steam and via social media. #ProtectTheNation loyal fans. And thank you again for your amazing support! Team Osmotic

[ 2018-02-22 16:03:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Orwell fans. We have some great news! Today, we announced that Orwell: Ignorance is Strength will release from February 22 as bi-weekly episodes. That means, Episode One: Thesis will be available to play on February 22--just one week from now! The roll-out of episodes will be: Episode One: Thesis - February 22 Episode Two: Antithesis - March 8 Episode Three: Synthesis - March 22 Purchasing the game at any time will get you all three episodes. Episodes unlock as game updates according to the schedule above. A new trailer, screenshots and information have just been released (check the store page to see them)! We can’t wait for you to return to the world of Orwell, and experience the new story, tools and dilemmas we have created for you in season two, Orwell: Ignorance is Strength. Thank you so much for being such amazing and supportive fans. Tell everyone. Get ready to #ProtectTheNation once more. - Team Osmotic

[ 2018-02-15 16:02:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

We’re really sorry we haven’t updated you in awhile. We’ve been working hard on the development of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength, and had actually hoped to have the game out by now. But as the narrative and mechanics came together, we realised that delivering the experience we want you to have is going to take a little extra time. Here’s why... Season two will release across three complex episodes: each episode will offer more choice on how to advance than before. The story will also feel more personal than the original, focusing in particular on three individuals and the complicated relationships they have with each other--and the truth. You should expect a more dynamic environment: based on the newly added “time of the day” characters may act on their own behalf and events unfold independently from the players‘ actions. As players, you will be granted access to a more advanced build of Orwell. The old tools are all still there, useful in their own right. But you’ll be invited to join “The Office”, a secret department of Orwell that has been equipped with tools that not only allow investigators to research individuals, but to also take that information and influence the way events are reported and perceived by the public. This gives you more agency, not just in the way the story branches and consequences play out, but in the narrative itself--the story of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength. Because of all this extra content--the story, the ideas, the narrative branches, the new tools--and the way that episodic content comes together, we’ve focused on getting it all just the way we want it and delivering the very best game we can. If you’re interested in a deeper understanding of how episodic content has shaped the development of Orwell, be sure to read our blog on Gamasutra, here. We wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thanks for being the wonderful fans that you are. And stay tuned for some big updates next month. -- Mel, Daniel, Michael (aka Team Osmotic)

[ 2017-12-18 03:18:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

In the first of a series of blog posts on Orwell: Ignorance is Strength, Osmotic Studios takes a look at how things have changed since the release of Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You, and the impact of those changes on the game, their studio, and the world. - - - On October 20, 2016, we released Orwell. After almost three years of development, and an unswerving belief in a game concept that had always been perceived as risky, our ‘baby’ was out the door, released as five weekly episodes. But, risky or not, from day one, we knew we had succeeded, attracting players who were looking for a new gaming experience, with a story to match. A lot has happened since the release of Orwell. We’ve continually received many positive responses from both players and game critics, which has been wonderful. Especially since we felt like we’d been carrying around a huge responsibility: we were not only trying to entertain players, but also spark thoughts about highly topical issues that people may agree or disagree with. We always made a point about not wanting to impose opinions on people but instead give them the freedom to choose their side. Creating a gaming system where this was possible was certainly not easy. So, the messages we got from players about how Orwell had moved them emotionally (no matter which side they were on) were perhaps what fulfilled us most after the release of Season One. But things not only changed for us as a studio; the world changed, too. The original inspiration for Orwell were the Snowden revelations, leaking facts about how the US government is collecting personal online data on a huge scale. In late 2016 through to early 2017, the US election campaign showed us that social media and the internet in general is not only an important tool to gain data, but also one of the most important forces to drive public opinion. With that in mind, we felt that since Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You shows how powerful your online data can be, within an investigative context, it’s a logical next step to address what could be done with this data aside from deciding who is innocent or guilty. What if, as a player, you were able to reuse it and even spread new ideas through it? The discussion about fake news, alternative facts and the power of media manipulation inspired this and was the reason why we came up with the first concept for Orwell: Ignorance is Strength. The central theme of Ignorance is Strength is the power of influence over the masses and the fight over this power. Compared to Season One, Season Two is more an open confrontation over this fight over influence and less about uncovering things. It asks the question, ‘How far can the power of fabricating stories and spreading them via the internet be used as a weapon?’. And, further, whether the ends justify the means. In addition, it questions truth itself and shows how easily it can be bent towards a certain direction, especially in the current digital information age.
Early screenshot of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength. The story revolves mainly around the character Raban Vhart, who is an immigrant of the Nation's neighbouring country Parges. He owns a blog called The People's Voice that is very anti-government and also criticizes the Pargesian president. Raban does not hesitate to bend the truth towards his own opinion and his main goal is to free his beloved home land from the establishment that caused civil unrest and even war in the shattered country. The player is once again recruited by the government in order to let justice prevail and ensure the stability of The Nation. After passing an aptitude test, they join ‘The Office’, a top secret government agency within Orwell. The player's job is to fight back against Raban, using the government's own ways of influencing the masses. Since the player is part of a more secretive government agency than in Season One, they also have more extensive tools that not only allow them to submit information to the profiler, but also reuse this information to search websites, enter passwords, break into a wider range of digital devices, and more. We made these changes because players would then have options for interaction and it fit perfectly into the general concept as well. These additional options make the gameplay a bit more complex, but since our basic game mechanic is rather minimalist, we felt it would be great to build on this and increase the challenge. Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is set chronologically parallel with events in the first game. Players who have experienced Keeping an Eye On You will know that its story is self-contained and pretty much comes full circle. It would have felt artificial to simply attach a new storyline to that. Additionally, the game had a few quite different outcomes at its end. If we had wanted to continue from there we would have needed to declare one of the specific endings canon, which we felt would have undermined the players’ previous choices. The choice to make the new story play out simultaneously with the previous one opens up the very interesting possibility to give some of the old choices new meanings from a different perspective, while at the same time giving background to some of the events in Parges that were only briefly mentioned in the previous game. Once again, with Ignorance is Strength, we hope to spark thoughts and move players emotionally. Perhaps it will even make players more sensitive in terms of how they look at the authenticity of online news and data in general. But we still do not want to tell players what to think. The game is certainly a reflection on what is currently going on in the world and how the tensions of public debates are increasing. Ignorance is Strength has a generally darker tone , which is more confrontational and more intense. The characters all have their own battles to fight with themselves as well. We hope that players will be able to reflect on the central themes outside of the real world and dwell on these ideas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbrsck9Ag2I

[ 2017-11-13 00:22:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

https://youtu.be/Bbrsck9Ag2I Osmotic Studios and Surprise Attack Games are thrilled to announce the second season of Orwell, titled Orwell: Ignorance is Strength. Inspired by the rise of fake news, the social media echo chamber and the death of truth - Season 2, Orwell: Ignorance is Strength will place you in the shoes of a government official in a top-secret department of the Orwell program. The Nation and Parges threatens to plunge into violent civil unrest, as a political crisis arises across borders. As the agent, you're given the power to both uncover and fabricate the truth - and you must decide for yourself whether truth is sacred or ignorance is strength. Season 2 brings a darker tone and introduces new tools, providing you with more control over how the investigation unfolds and even the ability to influence public opinion directly. Coming soon, the game will be available on PC, Mac and Linux at launch, and we look forward to bringing you more details. Don't forget to wishlist on Steam! orwell-ignorance.com @Orwell_Game
P.S Osmotic Studios will be attending Gamescom and PAX West - so please say hello if you're at the event!

[ 2017-08-10 06:43:34 CET ] [ Original post ]