The Operator to get started this summer

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Computer-based investigation of unusual case files coming to Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam

Field agents may get all the starring roles in fictional crime stories, but as any adventure gamer knows, sitting behind a computer is where most of the heavy lifting for any good investigator gets done these days. You'll have your chance to prove your mettle as a researcher once again later this year in Bureau 81's upcoming mystery adventure, The Operator.

Technically speaking, the Operator is Evan Tanner, but for all practical intents and purposes, it's YOU. As the newest member recruited into the Federal Department of Intelligence, you will be assigned a variety of case files to provide support for agents in the field, including "murders, missing people, and cyber attacks." You'll soon begin to suspect that that there's more to these seemingly unrelated crimes than meets the eye, however, and will ultimately find yourself untangling a "complex web of information and evidence" that twists and turns its way to a secret conspiracy not meant to be exposed.

Much if not all of The Operator will take place behind your own in-game computer screen. There you will receive calls from FDI field agents and must "help them by fact-checking, searching databases, identifying killers, and more." Fortunately you have the government's latest cutting-edge software at your disposal, such as a Video and Photo Analyzer, Citizen and Vehicle Database [and] ChemScan," along with a notepad and all the usual elements of a "fully functional terminal." Each different case you're assigned has its own evidence to assess, and it's up to you to "dig for clues, bring criminals to justice, and uncover the truth." But beware just how deep you dig, as pursuing unauthorized access may just draw unwanted attention from your "superiors." And who or what is the mysterious hacker who has infiltrated the FDI system and identifies only as HAL?

Would-be computer sleuths and conspiracy theorists can get logged in sometime in the third quarter of 2024, when The Operator is launched on Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux. 

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