A canceled video game sequel to George Orwell’s 1984 has recently emerged online, shedding light on a piece of lost media. The game, titled Big Brother, was in development by MediaX in the late 1990s and was ultimately canceled in 1999.
An alpha build of Big Brother, dated January 4, 1999, was uploaded to the Internet Archive on March 1, along with instructions for running the game on modern operating systems. This demo reportedly includes levels and game logic from the full version.
Players would have taken control of a character named Eric Blair, a nod to Orwell’s real name. The storyline involved rescuing his fiancée from the Thought Police, following the events of 1984. MediaX described the game as an interactive adventure with role-playing elements, combining detailed graphics with real-time gameplay.
Before its cancellation, Big Brother was showcased at E3 1998 and even won an award for Best Interactive Product at the Satellite Awards. The game was approximately 70% complete when MediaX lost the rights to the 1984 license, leading to its abandonment.
Despite efforts to contact former developers for insights into the game’s history, little information surfaced until the recent demo was found. This unexpected discovery has sparked renewed interest, particularly in the context of current events in the United States.
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