Approximately one year ago, the teams at notGames and tinybuild released an early access game titled Not for Broadcast. An FMV Puzzle game, this saw players tasked with managing a broadcast control room, shifting camera angles, choosing which zany advertisements to play, bleeping out swears and trying to work out just how to best display stories which quickly descend into chaos. Due to COVID-19, production had to be temporarily postponed, with a couple of sub-chapters filmed to tide gamers over.
After a year, the second set of three arcs have been released this morning, offering a continuation to the narrative set in an alternate reality leaning ever so closer to dystopia. Available as a free update, players can enjoy access to new advertisments, and overhauled gameplay system and undoubtedly many more memorable moments.
According to the developer, this new chapter “no-holds-barred approach to our relationship with live news – asking the question: should both sides have their say?”. The decisions you made in the first episode will correlate to changes in this episode, and the decisions you make at the National Nightly News could impact the public even more – as the feud between two warring political groups escalates.
Alongside the release of Episode 2, developer NotGames have also released a free documentary showcasing how they adapted their approach to creating a full motion video game – with a cast of 155 actors – during a global pandemic, titled Lights, Camera, Lockdown, also available via Steam.
Not for Broadcast is now available to purchase exclusively for the PC via Steam, at a price of £15.49, $19.99, or local equivalent.