I have joyous news if you’re an old-school gamer. Some of thought it was sadly over, but SHODAN has a few more tricks up her sleeve. OtherSide Entertainment has revealed that they will be working on the newest installment of the System Shock franchise, with the recent confirmation of System Shock 3. For a week prior, the teaser website featured cryptic lettering that hinted at the new entry in the long-dormant series. For those who aren’t familiar, System Shock was the precursor to the Bioshock series.
The website was hacked by nosy gamers who wanted to know more, revealing the title and new concept art for SHODAN, who mocked the hackers with daily taunts. These new designs are by Robb Waters, who wanted to bring her design into the “next generationâ€, especially since Terri Brosius will be reprising her most memorable and endearing role.
Not much is known at this time, but some details have emerged through the site and press releases. “Key members†from the first two games teams will be part of the new sequel, including Paul Neurath, who oversaw the original games’ developments. Nate Wells, one of the senior artists who worked on System Shock 2 will also be assisting Waters as he returns to create the visual design of the third entry.
The series has been in limbo for many years, as the Intellectual Property rights of System Shock 2 were being pulled between Electronic Arts and Meadowbrook Insurance Group, who claimed the rights after Looking Glass Studios’ closure. In 2012, Stephen Kick of Night Dive Studios, who acquired the distribution rights for the first two games, struck up negotiations with the owners in an attempt to make a third game. In September, Kick revealed that he had succeeded in securing those rights, and has now granted OtherSide the rights to work on the new entry.
The game is currently in pre-production stages, consisting mostly of concept development. Fans can sign up on the teaser site if they’d like to stay up to date on all of the game’s updates. Based out of Boston, OtherSide Entertainment has also developed games for the Ultima franchise, including Underworld and the recently kickstarted continuation Ascendant.
This is exciting news for old school PC gamers, but will this game live up to the long-awaited expectations? Make sure you make your voice heard in the comments. If you enjoy extensive gaming news like this, make sure you keep logging into Mouse N Joypad- you insect.