After releasing an enhanced version of the originalSystem Shockback in 2015, Night Dive Studios decided to move forward with a full-fledged remake.Since being delayed into 2018, there has been little news on the remake, but we now know that development on it has temporarily paused, and the team put on hiatus.
This was announced on Kickstarter by Night Dive Studios CEO Stephen Kick. According to Kick, development of theSystem Shockremake has suffered from scope creep, meaning that it has become a much larger project than originally intended. In fact, Kick said that theSystem Shockremake eventually became a completely different game than the original.
“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. Please accept my personal assurance that we will be back and stronger than ever.System Shockis going to be completed and all of our promises fulfilled.”
While it’s not explicitly stated, it’s likely that this means fans won’t get their hands on theSystem Shockremake in 2018 as previously announced. Depending on when work resumes on the project and how many changes need to be made, it’s possible that the game will slip to 2019, if not an even later date.
At this point, it seems as though theSystem Shock 3game, which has beenin development with help of Warren Spector, will release before the remake.System Shock 3is still very early in development, but if the game manages to stay on track during its development cycle, then it should launch within the next few years.
So while some fans may be disappointed that development on theSystem Shockremake has been temporarily halted, at least they have multipleSystem Shockprojects to look forward to. Hopefully this break will help the team at Night Dive Studios get theSystem Shockremake back on track and deliver the game in a timely manner.
System Shockis in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
