Orwell is a surveillance thriller about the ethics of data mining

While most of us are resigned to the fact that our personal information is treasured by various corporate and government entities, the question of how that information is used continues to be a concern. That's what Orwell is about, a forthcoming narrative adventure developed by German studio Osmotic Studios.

As part of a secret security organisation called The Nation, the player is tasked with using a fancy data-mining application called Orwell to get to the bottom of a terrorist attack. Orwell grants access to the personal communications and files of any likely suspects, and it's up to the player to decide what information is relevant to the investigation and what isn't. But that's an ambiguous distinction sometimes, and that ambiguity appears to be the crux of Orwell's theme.

"Acting as an impartial outside, the player must choose what information to provide to security services, and what to hold back," the announcement pitch reads. "These choices will have consequences for those involved and affect the outcome of the story as it unfolds towards its dramatic conclusion."

Orwell releases in late 2016 via Steam. Check out the announcement trailer below:

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.