Orwell: Ignorance is Strength is inspired by fake news

Orwell was one of the surprise hits of 2016, a surveillance-themed adventure sim which our reviewer described as "a novel perspective on totalitarian surveillance". That serialised adventure is getting a follow-up this year, in the form of Orwell: Ignorance is Strength.

Like last year's game, this sequel will be serialised as well, and is being described as a "season" by developer Osmotic Studios. It'll roll out weekly, and while there's no firm release schedule yet it's promised to be coming "soon".

"Inspired by the rise of fake news, the social media echo chamber and the death of 'truth' – Orwell: Ignorance is Strength places the player in the shoes of a government official in a top-secret department of the Orwell program," the description reads. "A political crisis has arisen across borders, threatening to plunge The Nation and Parges into violent civil unrest."

"Given the power to both uncover and fabricate "the truth", the player must decide for themselves how far they will go in the service of their country and whether the truth is sacred or ignorance is strength."

Check out the teaser trailer embedded above. The Steam page is over here.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.