Not For Broadcast

Not For Broadcast is an interactive TV satire by NotGames. You sit in the director's chair of the fictional news show National Nightly News and decide, while the broadcast is live, which images the audience sees, which statements stay muted and when commercial breaks start.

Instead of animated characters, the adventure uses filmed scenes with actors. As the political climate shifts, seemingly small decisions at the mixing desk take on more weight.

Not For Broadcast entered Early Access on Windows PC on Jan 30, 2020. The full PC version was released on Jan 25, 2022. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One followed on Mar 23, 2023.

The three additional stories were then released between March 2023 and August 2024. They are standalone expansions of the main game, not separate re-releases.

The main game was released natively for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The PlayStation 4 version can be played on compatible PlayStation 5 consoles. The same applies to the Xbox One version on Xbox Series X|S. This does not create separate native PS5 or Xbox Series versions.

On PC, the game is available from Steam and GOG, among others. The VR version is sold separately and is not the same as the standard screen version.

Several camera feeds run at once on your control screens. You switch the broadcast to a suitable shot, watch how the audience reacts and keep the programme running despite surprises. Because interviews and appearances carry on while you handle other tasks, timing matters too.

Directing combines fast controls with decisions about how the images come across. What helps the ratings does not necessarily serve the people in front of the camera.

The main game received three major expansions: Live & Spooky, Bits of Your Life and The Timeloop. Each one switches the TV format and adds its own decisions and new broadcast situations. The DLCs require the main game.

The Season Pass bundles these stories. There is also the Complete Edition, which includes the main game and expansions. The additional soundtrack is included with certain PC bundles.

The PC version requires Windows 10 64-bit, a processor with at least 2.7 GHz, 8 GB RAM and a dedicated graphics card with at least 1 GB VRAM. Storage space is listed as 50 GB. DirectX 11 is required.

The comparatively large installation is due to the extensive film footage. A dedicated graphics card is also required for the gameplay, which is built around video material.

Offensive language must be bleeped out in time. At the same time, you decide whether embarrassing situations, political gestures or distracting camera shots reach the audience. A poorly chosen shot can make a statement come across completely differently than originally intended.

Control over the broadcast is both a game task and the central theme of the satire.

Between the news, you put together commercials and play them at the right moment. Your choices affect revenue and public mood. At the same time, you must not lose sight of the broadcast that is running.

Not For Broadcast therefore treats advertising not just as a break, but as another intervention in what the audience learns about their country and its institutions.

The story begins after a new political movement wins an election. News reports, scandals and seemingly harmless entertainment develop into a dispute over power, propaganda and freedom of speech.

Between the broadcasts, decisions also affect the main character's private life. Different paths and outcomes give repeated playthroughs their own appeal.

Interviews, shows, news and political appearances are made of real footage. The game interface places a mixing desk, camera feeds, audio controls and ad controls over the material. This creates the feeling of working right behind the scenes of a chaotic TV station.

The satirical tone ranges from absurd commercials to grim social decisions. The game deliberately uses strong language and occasional depictions of violence.

Live & Spooky was released for PC on Mar 23, 2023. You edit a nighttime ghost show in an abandoned film studio and, using additional effects and directing decisions, choose which locations the team investigates.

The seemingly harmless entertainment turns into a search for clues. Different sequences and endings invite you to play the studio night several times.

Bits of Your Life was released for PC on Nov 14, 2023. Through interviews and surprise guests, the show looks back at the life of politician Peter Clement. You can change the order of appearances and thereby influence the conversation, mishaps and revelations.

The DLC offers ten different endings. Clues and guest combinations make the order of the show the central puzzle.

The Timeloop was released for PC on Aug 29, 2024. In a special TV broadcast, well-known characters get caught in a time loop. You use the repeats to gather clues and find a way out of the experiment.

The expansion brings several storylines of the main game to a conclusion. The cast includes familiar faces from the National Nightly News editorial team.

The standard version contains the original story. Three expansions are available individually and as a Season Pass for additional content. The Complete Edition includes the main game and all three stories.

Console offers also differ in package names and included extras. What matters is whether you only want to play the main game or the additional broadcasts.

Not For Broadcast VR moves the work at the director's desk into a virtual environment. The VR version is offered separately for supported headsets. It is not an additional native platform release of the regular PC, PS4 or Xbox One game.

The classic version lets you control the controls on a regular screen, while the VR version stages the directing work spatially.

The game offers German on-screen text and subtitles. The filmed footage is shown in English. If you want to follow the broadcasts while operating camera feeds, censorship and ad inserts, turn on the subtitles.

The PC version also offers other interface languages, including French, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese.