The record-breaking Not For Broadcast comes to Xbox, PlayStation and VR

We’re fairly used to hearing about record breaking games, but most of those figures sit in terms of the sales of the biggest of blockbusters. Today a proper record breaker comes to Xbox, PlayStation and VR services, after picking up some critical acclaim on PC through Steam. The thing is, it’s Not For Broadcast. 

Not For Broadcast from the NotGames and tinyBuild teams breaks out of the PC shackles to today release on other formats, notably those of Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation and VR – Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro and SteamVR. PSVR2? Not yet, but we can only hope. 

There are many reasons to be excited for this launch too, with Not For Broadcast having previously broken records in terms of the sheer amount of Full Motion Video footage that is included in the game. We’re big fans of FMV – mostly the stuff that has popped up from Wales Interactive like Ten Dates – but that just increases the excitement levels even more for what is promised here. For the record, if you are interested, Guinness World Records slapped the game with a gong back in January 2022, as they confirmed the 42 hours, 57 minutes, 52 seconds worth of FMV footage is more than ever before. 

It’s now time for Xbox, PlayStation and VR players to take in these many hours of footage, as you head to the editing room and get ready for the world of live TV. It’s your job to ensure that the chaos unfolds a little less chaotically than normal. Pinging switches, turning up dials and working in the ad tapes will all be par for the course here as you fast learn how mad live television actually is. 

Set in an alternate reality 1980’s Britain, in Not For Broadcast you’ll discover that things are just a little bit off, but it’s up to you, as the National Nightly News show’s new editor to keep things rolling. But this is live, and that means the newscasters you employ, plus those that pop into the studio as guests, can be temperamental. You can’t afford to be taken off air so you’ll need to cleverly work camera angles, utilise the bleep machine and deliver some of the toughest calls. 

It’s something that we’re excited to play on Xbox and PlayStation, as tinyBuild and NotGames push the PC port the way of consoles. We’d suspect that those kitted out for VR opportunities will be as pleased. And if you’re not already sold, let the key features sort you out…

• Cut between multiple camera feeds, tweak the headlines, bleep the foul language, all with just moments to spare on a live broadcast! Whether you toe the party line or stir up a scandal is your choice, so long as you can hold the audience’s fickle attention.
• Frame the picture (and the debate): Keep the general public entertained with your editing skills. You are the artist and the broadcast is your canvas.
• Keep it PG: Smash that big red CENSOR button to keep rude words (and other sensitive information) off the air. Keep the news safe for children and oppressive political regimes alike.
• Hand-pick the headlines: There’s more news to see than a single broadcast can possibly contain, so someone (that’s you) gets to choose what goes on air. Frame a footballer as a loving beau or a drunken lout? Your call to make, and just one of many. It’s just TV, right? It’s not like you could change an entire nation’s fate…
• Cue the ads: Powerful as you are, they’re really not paying you enough here. Some hand-picked (if slightly sketchy) sponsors might help pad that bank balance, and provide some laughs along the way. Customer satisfaction is not guaranteed and absolutely no refunds.
• The show must go on! Nothing will stop the National Nightly News, not even existential threats! Keep broadcasting no matter how bizarre things get. News stops for no-one, not even a category 5 storm!
• Keep them laughing as you go: Okay, so the news isn’t all sunshine and celebrity embarrassments. There’s all that talk of war, and the politics are just getting to you. But don’t worry, be happy! Tune out the chaos, turn up the ads, and whatever you do, don’t listen in on the increasingly panicked chatter of the news crew behind the scenes. Everything’s fine.

Should you be up for a laugh or reckon you have what it takes to ensure that live television can go without a hitch, then you’ll find Not For Broadcast over on the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. It’s priced at £20.99 for the Standard Edition of the game, whilst the Deluxe Edition adds in the Season Pass – expect that to grant you access to three further episodes of Not For Broadcast as they release down the line. Expect similar to be in place on PlayStation.

The new Live & Spooky DLC is the first of three new chapters coming in the Not For Broadcast Season Pass, as you get the chance to return to the editing room in this special show, taking news-anchor Patrick Bannon on a mysterious mission to a ‘haunted’ backlot. There’s no such thing as ghosts, is there!?

Keep an eye out for our review soon. We’ll be checking this one out on Xbox Series X|S no doubt. 

Game Description:

It’s time for the National Nightly News. A nation tunes in, and you get to decide what’s fit for broadcast. Pick the most exciting (or scandalous) camera angles, bleep the swears and determine which ads to run to keep the sponsors happy. No pressure, right? I mean, who pays attention to the news anyway? Not For Broadcast is a darkly comedic game of televised chaos that lets you pick what you want to see on TV, no matter what anybody else wants. Egotistical celebrities, dishonest politicians, and strange sponsors clash on the airwaves. You’re here to ensure that the show goes on uninterrupted.