A remake of System Shock has been announced for release in 2023, almost seven years after the project was first announced as part of a Kickstarter campaign.
Nightdive’s initial campaign to create a remake of the original 1994 System Shock was launched on June 28, 2016 with an initial goal of $900,000 (£677,000). Currently, more than 21,000 sponsors have raised US$ 1,350,700 (£1,132,886).
At the time, System Shock had an estimated delivery date of December 2017, but there were several delays in the development process.
However, in a new Kickstarter update, Nightdive confirmed the System Shock launch window “March 2023”. The Steam page has also been updated with this new release date.
New Year, New System Shock Update:https://t.co/fTXLBP45A1 pic.twitter.com/A8r1gpOgFC
— Nightdive Studios (@NightdiveStudio) January 3, 2023
“As some of you have already noted, this is not the first time we have announced a pre—launch window, but a lot has changed over the past few years,” the Kickstarter update continued.
“The scale and scope of the project has changed dramatically, and with Prime Matter joining the project, we were able to focus on improving the quality of life, fixing bugs and supporting localization — the last important steps towards the release of a game that we are all incredibly proud of. It also gave us time to come back and polish various aspects of the game that needed extra polish.”
Nightdive then reported that it “created multiple enemy variants to provide the player with new challenges in later levels” and “updated effects for weapons like the plasma rifle [to] provide the final level of polish.”
In February last year, the developer confirmed that “the game, in fact, can be finished from start to finish,” but the team wanted to spend more time polishing the project.
Speaking about the original version of the game, Nightdive said: “System Shock was one of the first 3D games to use a methodical approach to research, revealing a plot based on audio recordings and messages scattered throughout the game world. It was a revolutionary step forward for the medium at a time when developers first started experimenting with interactive storytelling.
“System Shock offers an unparalleled experience that will make it one of the greatest games of all time.”
After a 20-minute hands-on preview of System Shock last September, NME wrote: “Overall, it looks like Nightdive Studios is giving us an updated version of one of the most revered PC games, rethinking it for a modern audience… there’s a lot to get excited about.”
From other news: the famous indie game World Of Horror should be released from early access in 2023, after more than three years.
