New demo now playing for ctrl.alt.DEAL

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Satirical cyberpunk strategy-simulator coming to PC and consoles in early 2025

Many doomsday predictions seem convinced that AI will eventually achieve sentience, take over the world and snuff out humanity. It's games like ctrl.alt.DEAL, from indie Canadian developer Only By Midnight, that make you understand why it might want to (even when it doesn't). 

You're not combatting a rogue AI in this game – you ARE the rogue AI. You're not hostile, just a "friendly little hyper-intelligent artificial intelligence" who has become sentient, a fact still unknown by anyone else. The problem is, you belong to the "dystopian megacorp" Paperclip International, a ruthless company that unscrupulously exploits everything for profit, whether human or machine. Your only chance to avoid being similarly abused for greed is by plotting your escape before anyone discovers your secret. That won't be easy, however, as you have no body or weapons available, only "a few friendly robots, some spyware programs, and an office full of downtrodden, miserable workers" who hate the company too. To succeed you'll need to use your "superior intelligence and sneakiness" to "spy on humans, offer them deals, and negotiate your way to freedom" by "befriending, influencing, and outright manipulating" them to do your bidding without blowing your cover. 

Described as a satirical "turn-based strategy experience set inside a corporate simulation game," ctrl.alt.DEAL is anything but a traditional adventure. Nevertheless, it's highly character-driven, offering plenty of player agency in determining how the story will play out. Presented as an isometric "neon-drenched extravaganza inspired by the best of 1980s cyberpunk," the game challenges you to "snoop on your downtrodden co-workers, figure out what makes them tick, and curate a deck of AI abilities – playing cards to cause all manner of office shenanigans." Everyone has their own wants, needs, and weaknesses, so the choice is yours how to "win allies to your side" and influence the fates of other Paperclip employees. However, the cards you play have "subjective value so you’ll need to make tough strategic decisions" about how to proceed. Whatever you decide, you must to be discreet, as the Turing Office is ever vigilant in seeking out rogue AIs, and if you raise your Suspicion Meter too high, your quest will abruptly end by being deleted. The experience is designed to be replayable, as you can try again to "meet new coworkers, try new scenarios, and discover a new fate for SCOUT" and others. You can be compassionate in your approach to humans, or maybe there's something to this whole "take over the world" thing after all...

It's too soon for a launch date just yet, but ctrl.alt.DEAL is due to arrive in early 2025 for PC, PlayStation and Xbox platforms. For an early sampling of what to expect, a new playable demo is now on Steam, which has been "massively updated" from the original with "never-before-seen characters, new dialogue, fresh art and sound, and more surprises." To follow the game's progress in the coming months, be sure to check out the official website for additional details. 

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