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Press release:
28 January 2021.
NotGames and tinyBuild are today very happy and excited to announce that they have just released the episode 2 chapter for their satirical newsroom sim “Not For Broadcast” via Steam.

Developer NotGames and publisher tinyBuild today launch the much anticipated Episode 2 of their critically-acclaimed satirical newsroom sim, Not For Broadcast with a brand new trailer.

Thrown into the eye of the storm, players will be thrust into the hot-seat of the National Nightly News broadcast centre – just as the country outside threatens to tear itself apart. Balancing management with clever choices, you’ll need to keep things together as you manage four studio live feeds, censor unwanted language on the fly and cut to ads when it all goes wrong.

Originally launched as a game using slapstick and farce to seed in a satirical commentary, Not For Broadcast’s newest chapter now takes a no-holds-barred approach to our relationship with live news – asking the question: should both sides have their say?

Not For Broadcast is a game driven by choice and consequence. In Episode 2, we now see the reveal of how your quick-second decisions in earlier levels impacted not only on your wallet, but on the strength of the two political groups battling it out for the general public’s attention.

With hundreds of twisting narrative branches to explore, as well as new and improved sleek gameplay mechanics, the size of Not For Broadcast has doubled – making now the perfect time for both new and veteran players to take their seats at the broadcast desk.

Alongside the release of Episode 2, developer NotGames have also released a free documentary showcasing how they adapted their approach to creating a full motion video game – with a cast of 155 actors – during a global pandemic, titled Lights, Camera, Lockdown, also available via Steam.

Creative Director, Alex Paterson, said “The game so far has been a lovely romp through the forest in comparison to what’s coming in this update! We’re hoping the cheeky tone of Episode One has everyone in a nice false sense of security before being eclipsed by some of the Earth-shattering plot development we’re releasing today.

Not For Broadcast, more than anything else, is about interrogating the information we’re given and the source of that information – and not in a partisan way – this isn’t a game about whose political team is best.

I don’t think there’s been a more important historical moment for us to think critically about our relationship with media, the News and ultimately – the truth.”

Episode 2 of Not For Broadcast is available now as a free update to the base game via Steam – currently priced at £15.49/$19.99. As more content is added, the price may change.

About Not For Broadcast
Look, mate – it’s not that hard. Choose the angles, roll the ads, and bleep the swears. Just keep in mind that how you show these people will change their lives. Don’t worry – you’ll get paid either way!

Not For Broadcast is an immersive, narrative-driven propaganda sim that lets you set the agenda. Mix four camera feeds, choose the headlines, bleep the bad language – all under the pressure of a live broadcast. Will you censor the news and be rewarded, or expose the truth and live with the consequences?

Features:
Frame The Picture – Keep the general public entertained with your editing skills. You are the artist and the broadcast is your canvas.

Keep it PG – Censor swear words… or “unapproved” information. Keep the news safe for children and oppressive political regimes alike.

Hand-pick the headlines – Their public image is in your hands: run the story of a footballer’s new beau, or his last dodgy night at the pub? His marriage and his reputation ride on your decisions.

Cue the ads – Watch your bank balance soar or dive based on what advertisements you run. Customer satisfaction not guaranteed.

The show must go on! – Keep broadcasting no matter the cost. News stops for no-one, not even a category 5 storm!

Keep them laughing as you go – The stress of playing a part in this twisted political turmoil getting you down? Sit back and relax – The National Nightly News team will take you from laughter to dread in the course of a commercial break.

About NotGames
NotGames is a British game studio that opened its doors in 2013 to attempt to save the charity that brought us all together. Coming from a bizarre background of Film, TV, Theatre and Comedy, NotGames aren’t your usual game developers. If you’re asking, we’d like to call ourselves ‘multi-talented all-rounders’, while our former employers would probably say we’re ‘unfocussed and easily distracted’.

Exhausted after the runaway success of the cult-classic NotTheNameWeWanted and the subsequent still birth of NotCoD (we don’t like to talk about it), we took some time out to contemplate our navels in a dark room.

In 2017, we decided to get the band back together, with NotGames 2.0 combining satire, social commentary and original gameplay into the dystopian wonderland of Not For Broadcast.

About tinyBuild
Coming up on its 10th anniversary in the industry, tinyBuild is proud to help shape the modern definition of indie games.

Supporting developers in India, Ukraine, France, The Netherlands, Brazil, the US and now Indonesia, tinyBuild knows that confidently talented developers are all around us and waiting to be discovered. With a portfolio of games like SpeedRunners, Hello Neighbor, Graveyard Keeper and Pathologic, tinyBuild has some big plans for what’s next!