Big Brother (lost build of cancelled PC game based on "Nineteen Eighty-Four" novel; 1998): Difference between revisions

From The Lost Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Added a lot more information)
Line 8: Line 8:


==Plot and Gameplay==
==Plot and Gameplay==
[[Has brief:: The game's premise is based on George Orwell's 1948 novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', though the plot is ''"slightly different from that of 1984, with a corrupt regime that’s crumbling even more than in the book"''. Players are tasked with rescuing their fiancee from the Thought Police through 12 levels, each one apparently ''"5 hours"'' long, cut down from an original count of 60 levels.]]<ref>[https://ia903101.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/6/items/NEXT_Generation_48/NEXT_Generation_48_jp2.zip&file=NEXT_Generation_48_jp2/NEXT_Generation_48_0056.jp2&scale=4&rotate=0 Another page from the December 1998 issue of Next Generation Magazine on ''Big Brother''.] Retrieved 08 Dec '19</ref>
[[Has brief:: The game's premise is based on George Orwell's 1948 novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', though the plot is ''"slightly different from that of 1984, with a corrupt regime that’s crumbling even more than in the book"''. Taking place where the book left off, players control the character Eric Blair tasked with rescuing their fiancee from the Thought Police through 12 levels, each one apparently ''"5 hours"'' long, cut down from an original count of 60 levels.]]<ref>[https://ia903101.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/6/items/NEXT_Generation_48/NEXT_Generation_48_jp2.zip&file=NEXT_Generation_48_jp2/NEXT_Generation_48_0056.jp2&scale=4&rotate=0 Another page from the December 1998 issue of Next Generation Magazine on ''Big Brother''.] Retrieved 08 Dec '19</ref> Blair could interact with different characters, enemies, and puzzles and later on join the "Hacker Underground" group, who are intent on overthrowing Big Brother.<ref name=GameWeek>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000311101904/http://www.big-brother.com:80/bbreview6.htm GameWeek article on Big Brother] Retrieved 01 Mar '22</ref>


The published information in Next Generation Magazine describes ''Big Brother'' as an adventure game that uses a modern interface, real-time graphics, advanced facial animations, and environmental puzzles to deliver a fresh experience in the fatigued adventure genre of the late 1990s.
The published information in Next Generation Magazine describes ''Big Brother'' as an adventure game that uses a modern interface, real-time graphics, advanced facial animations, and environmental puzzles to deliver a fresh experience in the fatigued adventure genre of the late 1990s. The game was set in the first-person perspective.
 
==Development==
''Big Brother'' was developed by MediaX. They had bought the rights to use the Big Brother name to make a game in its universe. At that point the company was two and a half years old and this was their first game. MediaX described the game as a combination of the "detail of Riven into the real-time world of Quake". Company president Nancy Poertner told GameWeek that they had planned to keep original content, development, marketing and distribution in-house to reduce cost. They had also said the game was 70%% complete.<ref name=GameWeek/> The game was also said to be based on a design by Douglas Gayeton.<ref name=Licensing/>


==Availability==
==Availability==
Next Generation Magazine seems to be the last time ''Big Brother'' or Media X was ever mentioned. The release date was scheduled for the first quarter of 1999. However, the appears to have been cancelled. As late as 24 September 1999, the game was in its final stages of production, according to the companies financial reports.<ref>[https://sec.report/Document/0000849291-99-000020/Mediax Corp 1999 Security Offering and Investment Prospectus] Retrieved 28 July 1999</ref> According to Media X's Quarterly/Transition Report on 15 November 1999, the company spent $240,160 in investing activities primarily due to "the increase in deferred software
Despite its obscurity, ''Big Brother'' was showcased at the 1998 E3 trade show, originally expected to be released in September 1998 with a $29.95 retail price.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19991007083942/http://www.big-brother.com:80/bbreview5.htm Happy Puppy E3 coverage of Big Brother] Retrieved 01 Mar '22</ref>
development costs for 'Big Brother' and purchases of fixed assets."<ref>[https://sec.report/Document/0000849291-99-000022/ Mediax Corp 1999 Quarterly/Transition Report] Retrieved 28 July 1999</ref> This would be the last time ''Big Brother'' would be mentioned in their reports. At the end of 1999, an audit was done on Media X.<ref>[https://sec.report/Document/0000849291-00-000002/ Mediax Corp 2000 Current Report] Retrieved 28 July 1999</ref>
 
Next Generation Magazine seems to be the last time ''Big Brother'' or MediaX was ever mentioned. The release date was later pushed scheduled for the first quarter of 1999. However, the appears to have been cancelled. As late as 24 September 1999, the game was in its final stages of production, according to the companies financial reports.<ref>[https://sec.report/Document/0000849291-99-000020/Mediax Corp 1999 Security Offering and Investment Prospectus] Retrieved 28 July 1999</ref> According to Media X's Quarterly/Transition Report on 15 November 1999, the company spent $240,160 in investing activities primarily due to "the increase in deferred software
development costs for 'Big Brother' and purchases of fixed assets."<ref>[https://sec.report/Document/0000849291-99-000022/ Mediax Corp 1999 Quarterly/Transition Report] Retrieved 28 July 1999</ref> This would be the last time ''Big Brother'' would be mentioned in their reports. At the end of 1999, an audit was done on MediaX.<ref>[https://sec.report/Document/0000849291-00-000002/ Mediax Corp 2000 Current Report] Retrieved 28 July 1999</ref>
 
MediaX would sometime later lose the rights to the Big Brother title.<ref name=Licensing>[https://web.archive.org/web/20011217092859/http://big-brother.com:80/Licensing.htm Licensing history] Retrieved 01 Mar '22</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 07:59, 1 March 2022

Bigbrother.png

A screenshot from the game.

Status: Lost

Big Brother was a video game developed for the PC by American company Media X some time in the late 1990s. Based on George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, not much is known about the game outside of the December 1998 issue of Next Generation Magazine.[1]

Plot and Gameplay

The game's premise is based on George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, though the plot is "slightly different from that of 1984, with a corrupt regime that’s crumbling even more than in the book". Taking place where the book left off, players control the character Eric Blair tasked with rescuing their fiancee from the Thought Police through 12 levels, each one apparently "5 hours" long, cut down from an original count of 60 levels.[2] Blair could interact with different characters, enemies, and puzzles and later on join the "Hacker Underground" group, who are intent on overthrowing Big Brother.[3]

The published information in Next Generation Magazine describes Big Brother as an adventure game that uses a modern interface, real-time graphics, advanced facial animations, and environmental puzzles to deliver a fresh experience in the fatigued adventure genre of the late 1990s. The game was set in the first-person perspective.

Development

Big Brother was developed by MediaX. They had bought the rights to use the Big Brother name to make a game in its universe. At that point the company was two and a half years old and this was their first game. MediaX described the game as a combination of the "detail of Riven into the real-time world of Quake". Company president Nancy Poertner told GameWeek that they had planned to keep original content, development, marketing and distribution in-house to reduce cost. They had also said the game was 70%% complete.[3] The game was also said to be based on a design by Douglas Gayeton.[4]

Availability

Despite its obscurity, Big Brother was showcased at the 1998 E3 trade show, originally expected to be released in September 1998 with a $29.95 retail price.[5]

Next Generation Magazine seems to be the last time Big Brother or MediaX was ever mentioned. The release date was later pushed scheduled for the first quarter of 1999. However, the appears to have been cancelled. As late as 24 September 1999, the game was in its final stages of production, according to the companies financial reports.[6] According to Media X's Quarterly/Transition Report on 15 November 1999, the company spent $240,160 in investing activities primarily due to "the increase in deferred software development costs for 'Big Brother' and purchases of fixed assets."[7] This would be the last time Big Brother would be mentioned in their reports. At the end of 1999, an audit was done on MediaX.[8]

MediaX would sometime later lose the rights to the Big Brother title.[4]

References

  1. ↑ A page from the December 1998 issue of Next Generation Magazine which has an article on Big Brother. Retrieved 08 Dec '19
  2. ↑ Another page from the December 1998 issue of Next Generation Magazine on Big Brother. Retrieved 08 Dec '19
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 GameWeek article on Big Brother Retrieved 01 Mar '22
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Licensing history Retrieved 01 Mar '22
  5. ↑ Happy Puppy E3 coverage of Big Brother Retrieved 01 Mar '22
  6. ↑ Corp 1999 Security Offering and Investment Prospectus Retrieved 28 July 1999
  7. ↑ Mediax Corp 1999 Quarterly/Transition Report Retrieved 28 July 1999
  8. ↑ Mediax Corp 2000 Current Report Retrieved 28 July 1999
Retrieved from "https://lostmediawiki.com/w/index.php?title=Big_Brother_(lost_build_of_cancelled_PC_game_based_on_%22Nineteen_Eighty-Four%22_novel;_1998)&oldid=171966"