Last September, Vancouver, Washington-based developer Night Dive Studios – whose most recent creation came in the form of Turok Returns last December – released an enhanced edition of Looking Glass Studios’ classic cyberpunk RPG-Shooter, System Shock 2. As noted in the above article, the company was also developing a complete remaster of System Shock 1, of which we knew little about at the time. A trailer released by Night Dive yesterday, though, dispels some of the fog surrounding System Shock Remastered.
This is our first glimpse of the remaster, and it seems as if Night Dive has not only faithfully retained the gloomy and derelict atmosphere of the original game, but has indeed brought it to new heights (or depths?) of cybernetic despair. You can check out the pre-alpha trailer below:
System Shock Remastered’s official website assures fans that they won’t have to wait long for its appearance on Kickstarter. The game will update the original’s User Interface and will use the Unity engine for its graphics, all while retaining the terror of the original Citadel Station. System Shock’s original concept artist, Robert Waters, will be helping Night Dive to attain their vision.
Night Dive is no stranger to the System Shock series. Founded in 2012 by Stephen Kick, Night Dive began its rise to notability when it acquired the license for System Shock 2 in 2013, which had previously been caught in legal deadlock between Electronic Arts and Meadowbrook Insurance Group (the entity that acquired the assets of System Shock developer Looking Glass Studios after their closure in 2000). In November last year, they announced that they had acquired the rights to the System Shock IP.
And System Shock Remastered won’t be the end of intergalactic horror for Night Dive, either. The studio is also working with OtherSide Entertainment to produce a third entry in the System Shock series, which is being led by game industry veteran Warren Spector.
Other than a projected 2017 release date, little else is known about System Shock Remastered. But we can expect to hear more about this tantalizing new title in the coming months. In the meantime, you can sign up for its newsletter on its official website.