Big Brother Archives

AppWizard

March 6, 2025

A demo for a lost videogame based on George Orwell’s 1984 has emerged from the memory hole

In the mid-1990s, MediaX, a US-based studio, conceptualized a video game titled Big Brother, inspired by George Orwell's 1984. Players would assume the role of Eric Blair, navigating a dystopian landscape with government installations to sabotage, across twelve levels filled with puzzles and challenges. The game was initially unveiled at E3 in 1998, with a planned release in September of that year, but faced delays and was ultimately canceled by 1999 or 2000 due to licensing issues. Despite its cancellation, a video showcasing its gameplay has been preserved by the Internet Archive. The game resembled a first-person adventure similar to Myst, with a graphical style like Quake, and included tasks such as locating tools and manipulating environmental elements. Another adaptation of 1984 is currently in development by the Narrative Designer behind games like Subnautica and Talos Principle.

AppWizard

March 4, 2025

George Orwell’s 1984 as a ‘90s PC game has to be seen to be believed

The 1998 video game project Big Brother, based on George Orwell's 1984, was announced at E3 1998 and aimed to extend the narrative of Orwell's universe. It featured a new protagonist, Eric Blair, who was on a quest to find his missing fiancée, Emma, and was involved in a resistance movement against the Thought Police. Despite initial excitement and a demo, the game never reached full release and fell into obscurity. Recently, a demo of Big Brother has been recovered and made available on the Internet Archive. The game's last preview appeared in the December 1998 issue of Next Generation magazine, and the demo's narrative shifted focus from the missing fiancée to Eric's role in creating a diversion against the Thought Police.

AppWizard

March 4, 2025

A Demo Of A Lost PC Game Based On George Orwell’s 1984 Has Been Archived Online

A demo of the long-lost PC game based on George Orwell's 1984, titled Big Brother, has resurfaced online, uploaded by a user known as Shed_Troll to archive.org. The game was developed by MediaX as a first-person adventure and was intended as a sequel to the original novel, featuring a new protagonist named Eric Blair. The narrative involves Blair searching for his missing fiancée in a world dominated by Big Brother and the Thought Police. The game was initially showcased at E3 in 1998 and generated significant excitement but ultimately fell silent and was thought to be lost. Footage of the demo has also been captured by Mr^Burns. The demo is available for download.