It has been recently announced that the highly anticipated remake of System Shock has been cancelled. The news came as a blow to many fans of the classic 1994 sci-fi horror game, which had years of hype and anticipation building up to the announcement of its remake.
The original System Shock was developed by Looking Glass Technologies and released for the PC in 1994. The game was praised for its groundbreaking use of interactive storytelling, as well as its innovative 3D graphics. It spawned two sequels as well as a spiritual successor with the 2017 title “System Shock: Enhanced Edition”.
After nearly a decade of anticipation, it was announced on September 5th that the remake of System Shock had been cancelled. The announcement came from developer Nightdive Studios, who had been working on the game since 2016. The reasons given for the cancellation were financial and legal issues that prevented the team from completing the project.
The news was met with disappointment among fans of the series, many of whom had pre-purchased the game in hopes of playing it. While it isn’t clear if any of the progress made on the game will ever be released, the company has stated that it will provide refunds for all those who pre-ordered the game.
While the cancellation of System Shock Remake is certainly a setback, it doesn’t mean that the series is dead for good. The original System Shock still has a devoted fan base and there could still be hope for a sequel or spiritual successor in the future. Nightdive Studios may also choose to move forward with their plans for a remastered edition of System Shock 2, so it may not be the last we see of the series.
It’s always sad to see a beloved classic game series canned, but fans should take solace in the fact that System Shock still lives on and may yet have a future.