System Shock (upcoming video game)

The original System Shock, released in 1994, was developed by Looking Glass Studios, which closed in 2000. The company assets, including the rights to System Shock, were acquired by Meadowbrook Insurance Group, a subsidiary of Star Insurance Company.[1] In 2012, Nightdive Studios acquired the rights for System Shock 2 and produced a digitally distributable version updated for modern operating systems. Night Dive Studios subsequently went on to acquire the rights for System Shock and the franchise as a whole.[2]

Two months after the release of System Shock: Enhanced Edition in September 2015, Night Dive Studios announced plans to develop a remake of System Shock for Windows and Xbox One using the Unity engine.[3] Originally announced as System Shock Remastered, Night Dive Studios has opted to simply name the new game System Shock, because they consider the level of effort put into the title makes it more of a reboot of the franchise rather than a remastering of the original game.[4][5] Veteran designer Chris Avellone and members of the Fallout: New Vegas development team have confirmed their involvement.[6]

Night Dive Studios planned to fund the development of the game through a Kickstarter campaign that started on June 28, 2016, with a goal of US$900,000. Alongside the Kickstarter campaign, the studio released a free demo featuring an early build of the first level of the game, exhibiting their efforts so far on the project and intended to "demonstrate [their] commitment and passion" to faithfully rebooting the game.[7] The Kickstarter goal was met on July 9, 2016 with 19 days left in its campaign, and closed on July 28, 2016 with more than $1.35M in funding from about 21,600 backers. The additional funding was to be used towards macOS and Linux versions of the game, expanded areas, and support for the Razer Chroma.[8][9] With the successful Kickstarter, Night Dive Studios anticipated a December 2017 release for the game.[8]

During the Kickstarter period, Night Dive Studios saw that there was a considerable demand for a PlayStation 4 version of the title. They subsequently talked with Sony and were able to affirm that a PlayStation 4 version would be possible. The studio planned to release this version in early 2018. The addition of the PlayStation 4 port did not impact the Kickstarter funding request, as the studio believed it could complete this with the $900,000 sought.[10] After breaking the US$1 million mark on Kickstarter, ports for macOS and Linux were confirmed.[11]

During the 2017 Game Developers Conference, Night Dive Studios announced they would move development from Unity to Unreal Engine 4, with director Jason Fader said "Unity is not a great engine to use if you want to make an FPS on console".[12] Fader cited issues related to a combination of fidelity, cross-platform support, content pipelines and performance issues as the reason for the switch.[12][13] Fader also clarified that they now considered the game a more "faithful reboot" than a remaster; the game's story, character, weapons, levels, and enemies remained as in the original game, but they were applying "modern design principles" to rework some of these and add in others to make the game more playable for current audiences. Fader offered one example in level design, calling the original System Shock's maps a "product of the time" which did not age well; while somewhat fixed to the level's layout, the team was able to open up some areas and remove unnecessary mazes to make the game more interesting for players.[13] Fader offered that while the story remains beat-for-beat, the team had added Chris Avellone to change some of the dialog and to fix some of the plot holes from the original game.[12]

In mid-February 2018, Night Dive announced that development of System Shock was put on hold. CEO Stephen Kick stated "I have put the team on a hiatus while we reassess our path so that we can return to our vision. We are taking a break, but not ending the project. System Shock is going to be completed and all of our promises fulfilled."[14] Kick explained that as the project had shifted from a remake to a reboot, they "strayed" from the core concepts of the original game, and found they needed a larger budget. Night Dive's director of business development Larry Kuperman said they had approached publishing partners to fund the expanded effort, but could not obtain this additional support. Kick opted to put the project on hold, reassigning the team to other projects in the interim.[14] Speaking at the Game Developers Conference in March 2018, Kick and Kuperman explained that because of the feature creep, a newly assembled team had restarted the game's development, staying focused on the promises of what they would deliver during the Kickstarter, and that they were now looking towards a 2020 release. The refocusing of the game also helped them to engage with interested publishing partners who were more amenable to supporting them.[15]

In May 2020, Nightdive released an alpha demo of the game via GOG and Steam, along with a developer's walkthrough and commentary to accompany the release.[16] The demo featured a new build of the game from that of previously released demos; however, it still featured voiceover audio which Nightdive had yet to re-record, due delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] Following Chinese developer Tencent's acquisition of the rights to System Shock 3 from OtherSide Entertainment, Nightdive also clarified that Tencent had only acquired the rights to make sequels in the series; therefore not impacting the status of the remake.[17][16]

• Official website