The Strange Reason This Forgotten David Bowie Game Is Trending

Thanks to the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant named Omicron, a 1999 video game starring David Bowie has begun trending. Some people have been unexpectedly reminded by "Omikron: The Nomad Soul," which bears a name that reminds people of the new coronavirus variant (of course, both take their name from the Greek alphabet). While a good number of nostalgic gamers are just enjoying a fun and unexpected link between current events and a bizarre video game from the late 90s, some people have broken out the red string and cork boards and are drawing eerie connections between the two.

"Omikron: The Nomad Soul" is a 1999 sci-fi title developed by Quantic Dream, best known for adventure titles such as "Detroit: Become Human" and "Heavy Rain." The game was originally published by Eidos Interactive, which is now part of Square Enix. "Omikron" starred musician and actor David Bowie as an entity named Boz, who follows players around as they try to hunt down a serial killer and save their own soul. The game was originally released for Microsoft Windows and Sega Dreamcast, and is currently available on Steam for those who are curious. 

"Omikron" takes place in a dystopian future, but a particular speech by Bowie's character has been latched onto by some of the more conspiracy-minded gamers on the internet.

While many people have been reminded of the game just because of how similar its title is to the latest coronavirus variant, other people people have latched onto a specific speech in which Bowie's character tells the people of "Omikron" to wake up, warning them that a corrupt government is lulling them to sleep in order to control them better. His character tells them to join the awakened ones and rise up to fight back. 

Anyone familiar with dystopian sci-fi stories knows that oppressive governments and/or evil corporations are a common thread in those stories, and Quantic Dream's take on that in 1999 wasn't exactly subtle. Even so, as noted by Distractify, this speech is apparently resonating with a section of the population that has felt distrustful of the government during the pandemic.

It's pretty clear that these coincidences are purely tangential at best — but that's exactly what conspiracy theories are. Whatever gamers' reasons are for reminiscing about "Omikron: The Nomad Soul," it's probably the most anyone has discussed the game in years.