Clawing its way out of the depths of development hell, OtherSide Entertainment has finally given gamers a first proper look at System Shock 3. Continuing the legacy of System Shock, the long-awaited revival of the action-horror series is finally moving forward.
Premiering in 1994, the first System Shock cemented itself as an atmospheric horror title as players were sent to a cyberpunk space station in the year 2072. Playing as an unnamed hacker, fans had to infiltrate the nightmarish Citadel and take on a murderous AI going by the name of SHODAN. While plenty has changed in System Shock 3, there's definitely still the essence of the original series.
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Thankfully, things seem on the up as OtherSide is determined to prove System Shock 3 is on the way. It's been a rough ride for game producer Warren Spector's project thanks to the recent departure of publisher Starbreeze. OtherSide confirms that the split with Starbreeze was amicable and that System Shock 3 is around halfway complete. Last month, Spector provided an update on the sequel to the official OtherSide site:
"The team is still, as we say, ‘psyched and cranking’ – in other words, continuing as normal. I’m confident we can bring System Shock 3 to market and have it take its place as a leading title in the immersive simulation genre.”
As the first System Shock 3 trailer shows, SHODAN is back and more unhinged than ever. Premiering at 2019's Game Developers Conference, the 35 seconds of footage showcase the title's use of the impressive Unity engine. With rumors of System Shock 3 being in development for what seems like an eternity, the trailer is the first real glimpse of what fans can expect.
Away from OtherSide's official sequel, Night Dive Studios is still tinkering on its $1.3 million crowdfunded remake of the original. It looks like it's an exciting time for anyone who has ever played (or wanted to play) a System Shock game. Apart from the news that System Shock 3 is in pre-alpha development, there is little else to go on when it comes to plot or locale for the next game. At least the lure of SHODAN should be enough to bring fans in for the tech terror of System Shock 3.
It's also important to remember the importance of System Shock as a franchise. From the confined quarters of the 1994 classic, System Shock 2 debuted to critical acclaim in 1999 and gave new life to the SHODAN in a whole different region of space. System Shock has become such a cult series over the year, it has spawned spiritual successors like BioShock and has been credited for inspiring games like Prey and Alien Isolation. System Shock might not be the revolutionary property it once was, but that's okay - fans likely just want more of the same at this point, with a shiny new coat of paint to make it all palatable. We'll see if System Shock 3 can deliver whenever it's finally ready to launch.
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Source: OtherSide