Nightdive Studios, the one-time rights holder of the iconic System Shock franchise, says its ownership company, Tencent, will ultimately decide whether or not a third game in the series sees the light of day.
System Shock 3 spent several years in development at the studio Otherside Entertainment, where series creators Paul Neurath and Warren Spector were leading development. In 2020, the studio announced Tencent would be “taking the System Shock franchise forward,” but the specifics of that change were unclear.
2/2 As a smaller Indie studio, it had been challenging for us to carry the project on our own. We believe Tencent’s deep capabilities and expertise as a leading game company will bring the franchise to new heights.
— OtherSide Entertainment (@OtherSide_Games) May 20, 2020
Two years later, Nightdive Studio CEO Stephen Kick has confirmed to VGC that Tencent now holds the rights to the series.
“When we originally acquired the rights to the franchise, we licensed the rights for the third game to Warren [Spector] and Paul [Neurath] at Otherside. They then subsequently sold their rights to Tencent,” he said.
“So Tencent currently has the rights to the third game, and we have the rights to do the remake of the first game and potentially a remake of the second game. That’s pretty much where it stands right now.”
Kick said he didn’t know if Spector or Neurath were to be involved in a potential third System Shock game.
Nightdive has been working on a remake of the original System Shock since 2016. The game has yet to receive a release date, but Gamescom attendees were able to play a demo at the event this week. Spector and Neurath have both been involved in the remake, providing feedback on Nightdive’s work.
Otherside, meanwhile, is working on an immersive sim based on a new IP with Spector at the helm.
