EPISODE TWO OF ORWELL: IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH IS OUT NOW!
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
A thank you and an explanation for going episodic
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
Fan loyalty discount - An additional 10% off will be automatically applied
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
EPISODE ONE OF ORWELL: IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH IS OUT NOW!
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
ORWELL: IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH IS LAUNCHING IN ONE WEEK!
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
Going Episodic & An Update on Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
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)
BLOG POST: Orwell was released... and the world changed
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
ORWELL IS BACK TO TAKE ON FAKE NEWS
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!
