The System Shock games have had a storied legacy in the gaming industry. The shooter/RPG hybrids have a dedicated following, but it seems like fans of the franchise will have to wait much longer to see a new installment. In a recent interview with Warren Spector via VentureBeat, the original creator of Deux Ex, it was revealed that System Shock 3 has not been in development with OtherSide Entertainment since 2019.
Spector, alongside Game Designer Paul Neurath, originally announced System Shock 3 back in 2015 as part of OtherSide Entertainment. Nightdive Studios bought the rights to the series from Star Insurance, and then gave OtherSide Entertainment permission to make the sequel. In 2017, Starbreeze Studios announced its intention to publish the game on PC and consoles.
A troubling development history for System Shock 3
Unfortunately, the development of the title has been troubled since that point. After showing off some brief media for the game in 2019, news arrived that several staff members had been laid off. This included the design director, Chase Jones. To make matters worse, the studio needed to seek out a new publisher after its deal with Starbreeze fell through.
The studio later teamed up with Tencent to keep development going. It’s unclear how much progress has been made on the game since OtherSide relinquished control of the project. Spector mentions in the interview that “Tencent is taking the franchise forward. It’ll be up to them to say what they want to say.”
That doesn’t sound good for fans who were hoping for any significant updates on the development of System Shock 3. Early glimpses of System Shock 3 in pre-alpha were promising for long-time fans of the series. But, with the game stuck in development hell at the moment, we can only wait patiently for an update from Tencent.
Hopefully, this won’t be the last we hear of this spooky franchise. Although, an appreciable silver lining is that OtherSide Entertainment has begun work on a brand new IP.
