<s>
The	O
game	O
,	O
described	O
as	O
sci-fi	O
thriller	O
,	O
puts	O
the	O
player	O
in	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
space	O
station	O
AI	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
recover	O
from	O
the	O
sudden	O
,	O
mysterious	O
loss	O
of	O
its	O
crew	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observation	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
on	O
May	O
21	O
,	O
2019	O
and	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
on	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
takes	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
SAM	O
(	O
Systems	O
Administration	O
&	O
Maintenance	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
software	O
aboard	O
a	O
multi-national	O
space	O
station	O
that	O
serves	O
to	O
monitor	O
the	O
entire	O
station	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
manages	O
to	O
reboot	O
the	O
stations	O
integrated	O
AI	B-Application
,	O
SAM	O
(	O
Anthony	O
Howell	O
)	O
which	O
controls	O
the	O
station	O
's	O
systems	O
and	O
functions	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
role	O
the	O
player	O
assumes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observation	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
No	O
Code	O
,	O
a	O
Scottish	O
game	O
studio	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
released	O
Stories	B-Application
Untold	I-Application
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
director	O
and	O
No	O
Code	O
co-founder	O
Jon	O
McKellan	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
at	O
Creative	O
Assembly	O
,	O
where	O
he	O
was	O
the	O
lead	O
user	O
interface	O
designer	O
on	O
Alien	B-Application
:	I-Application
Isolation	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
McKellan	O
was	O
partially	O
inspired	O
by	O
an	O
article	O
published	O
shortly	O
after	O
Alien	B-Application
:	I-Application
Isolation	I-Application
's	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
creating	O
an	O
anthology	O
of	O
games	O
built	O
off	O
of	O
The	O
House	O
Abandon	O
,	O
released	O
as	O
Stories	B-Application
Untold	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
McKellan	O
,	O
Stories	B-Application
Untold	I-Application
served	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
road	O
test	O
"	O
for	O
Observation	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
got	O
the	O
chance	O
to	O
develop	O
mechanics	O
and	O
learn	O
from	O
mistakes	O
heading	O
into	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Observation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
spending	O
years	O
on	O
pre-production	O
and	O
prototype	O
creation	O
,	O
No	O
Code	O
took	O
roughly	O
25	O
months	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
game	I-Application
engine	I-Application
along	O
with	O
other	O
tools	O
like	O
Autodesk	B-Language
3ds	I-Language
Max	I-Language
and	O
Substance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
people	O
who	O
worked	O
on	O
Observation	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Alien	B-Application
:	I-Application
Isolation	I-Application
—	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
McKellan	O
,	O
character	O
artists	O
Jack	O
Perry	O
and	O
Ranulf	O
Busby	O
,	O
concept	O
artist	O
Stefano	O
Tsai	O
,	O
and	O
voice	O
actors	O
Kezia	O
Burrows	O
and	O
Anthony	O
Howell	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
latter	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
simulate	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
gravity	O
in	O
space	O
during	O
motion-capture	B-Operating_System
acting	I-Operating_System
sessions	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
pushed	O
an	O
animator	O
around	O
on	O
a	O
bar	O
stool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observation	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
October	O
8	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
release	O
time	O
frame	O
of	O
spring	O
2019	O
for	O
PC	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
Code	O
and	O
Devolver	O
Digital	O
had	O
a	O
previous	O
working	O
relationship	O
from	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Stories	B-Application
Untold	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Devolver	O
Digital	O
also	O
brought	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
on	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Observation	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
