Described as a "talented young agent cast out by his government," main character Michael Thorton has been cut off "from the very people he is sworn to protect." Game Informer magazine had previously described Thorton as an up-and-coming badass in the vein of James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne.

With the game set in the modern day, players are said to have multiple options in the way they complete missions in the third-person title, such as a guns blazing approach versus all-out stealth.

"Alpha Protocol embraces everything we enjoy about making RPGs from a fresh perspective," said Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart.