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The System Shock remake may be out now, but that doesn't mean developer Nightdive Studios is done with the IP.
There's a System Shock 2 remaster coming soon after all, but there might be more. Nightdive CEO and System Shock remake director, Stephen Kick, spoke to TRG in an interview about the development of the game. Towards the end of the conversation, Kick revealed that the team may have plans for the franchise going forward, but not necessarily jumping right into a remake of System Shock 2.
"There's been a lot of discussions about what it is we want to do next," Kick says in our interview, "whether that be a full on remake of System Shock 2 or if we want to let the Enhanced Edition breathe on its own for a bit.
"But we've talked about exploring the System Shock universe in different genres. Maybe an XCOM-like that takes place before the events of System Shock 1, where you're the resistance on Citadel Station, fighting SHODAN’s cyborgs and machines. Personally, I think that would be really cool. To kind of experience it from a different angle."
Naturally, this isn't confirmation that Nightdive Studios is indeed working on a strategy game akin to XCOM 2 within the System Shock universe. But it's certainly a pitch that almost writes itself.
Nightdive has already done much of the hard work in creating assets for the System Shock remake. Citadel Station's labyrinthine structure and tight corridors would also make great level design fodder for a turn-based strategy title.
I can easily imagine creating and naming my own Citadel Station survivors, carefully developing their skills and growing attached to them as they fight and inevitably perish in the wake of SHODAN's mutant cyborg army.
And speaking of SHODAN, it's easy to picture the rogue AI taunting you as you and your troops struggle to survive against her onslaught. The more I think about it, the more I want it to be real.
Whether we end up getting something like, say, System Shock Tactics or not, the future of the series is looking positive at Nightdive Studios. Given the strong critical reception the remake has garnered thus far, it's pretty unlikely the team is done with the franchise just yet.
In other PC gaming news, Apple has revealed it's working on Windows emulation for Mac, which should make gaming on Apple machines more accessible than ever.