Great Game: Making of Spycraft trailer unravels gaming’s political history

The history of video games is full of wild, untold stories fit for great documentaries — so Polygon decided to make one.

Produced and directed by our own Clayton Ashley and Simone de Rochefort, and narrated by New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, The Great Game unravels the making of the iconic ‘90s video game Spycraft, which unexpectedly turned former KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin and ex-CIA Director William Colby into collaborators on a CD-ROM thriller.

The Great Game: The Making of Spycraft traces the ascent of Kalugin and Colby during World War II, how they both fell out of favor with their respective agencies — while on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain — and how they both became actors in the full-motion video segments of Spycraft. In investigating the story behind a genuine piece of political history, and a milestone moment for gaming FMV, Clayton and Simone talked to a range of subjects, including Spycraft director Ken Berris, Dr. Andrew Hammond of the International Spy Museum, and beloved FMV scholar Justin McElroy. It’s a twisty story that anyone with a taste for video games or Cold War history will get a kick out of.

Here’s the best part: The documentary will be free to watch in just a few days. Watch the trailer above, then tune in when The Great Game: The Making of Spycraft premieres on Oct. 10 on Polygon’s YouTube channel.