After half a decade in the wilderness, Alpha Protocol is back on Steam.
Sega pulled Alpha Protocol from sale way back in 2019 due to the expiry of music rights, and whilst it returned to GOG back in March, Obsidian’s fan-favourite spy RPG was still curiously missing from Valve’s storefront. Until now, that is.
Surprised? You’re probably not alone. There doesn’t seem to have been a formal announcement anywhere, and according to SteamDB, Alpha Protocol’s Steam backend hadn’t been touched for months until a flurry of changes in June signalled something was afoot.
Alpha Protocol sees you play as agent Michael Thorton, a “talented young agent cast out by his government”. The only one with the information needed to prevent the obligatory international catastrophe, Thorton’s forced to “cut himself off from the very people he is sworn to protect” – oo-er – and every choice and action you take will “ultimately transform the type of secret agent Micheal Thorton will become”.
If that sounds intriguing, Alpha Protocol is currently available for 20 percent off the recommended retail Steam price.
“The legendary agent whose presence looms over Alpha Protocol’s Michael Thornton isn’t Bauer, Bourne or Bond – although the game is eager to invite all these comparisons,” Donlan wrote in Eurogamers’ Alpha Protocol review almost fifteen years ago.
“Obsidian has borrowed a lot from BioWare, a developer it’s always had a close working relationship with, and at times Alpha Protocol can feel a little like a Mass Effect mod as much as an original game in its own right.”
