Nightdive director decodes System Shock’s console revival and tells us what’s next

In an age where digital preservation is gaining importance, Nightdive Studios serves as a torchbearer with its focus on sourcing the rights to retro titles and bringing them to new audiences. After a PC release in 2023, the success of the System Shock remake was a turning point in how players and companies view the art of restoring classics. And they’re not resting on their laurels, with more titles on the way. But first, what counts as a ‘good remake’?

Balancing modern flourishes and faithful imperfections is no easy feat. For instance, Persona 3 Reload went on to sell over a million units but some fans were up in arms over its design decisions. For players who’ve spent years scouring a franchise for secrets, minute details like colour correction are a test of a studio’s reverence for the subject matter. One needs to look no further than the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake trailer‘s divisive reception. 

The System Shock remake succeeded in being as haunting as the original despite its visual and quality-of-life improvements. The fear of being trapped with mutants and a rogue AI instead of it being the other way around is alive and well here. We sat down with Larry Kuperman, Director of Business Development at Nightdive, to understand their approach to reviving an iconic game, the wrinkles that were ironed out, and the ones that weren’t. 

Larry quickly points out that “there were many challenges we faced when we decided to remake a 30-year-old game and art direction was perhaps one of the biggest.” With the latest advancements in game engines, it can be easy to overlook what makes a retro game unique. But Nightdive had a solution: working with someone from the original team. “Fortunately we had one of the original artists, Robb Waters, on board to help guide us through the process of translating the sprites and primitive 3D models of the classic game to the Unreal-powered remake,” notes Larry. “The end result was a unique aesthetic that paid homage to the technological limitations of the version from 1994, but featured the advancements in game art that had been made over the last 3 decades.”

It takes restraint to hold back from tarnishing a classic with new trends like open-world spaces and handholding. System Shock wisely sidesteps this desire to please everyone and remains a gruelling experience. It didn’t take long for me to get lost in its blood-stained corridors, scrounging for tools and resources to survive. Nightdive Studios trusts its players to figure things out and its efforts paid off. Larry was proud that “it’s been loved by fans of the original and new players who are getting to experience System Shock for the first time.” However, the team faced numerous challenges in getting there.

“We hit many obstacles along the way and there were many instances where it was doubtful that we’d ever finish,” Larry tells us. The team started with a Kickstarter campaign back in June 2016 and smashed past its $900k goal. After funding woes, hunting for a publisher, and facing several hurdles in development, the System Shock remake was finally released on May 30, 2023. “The biggest challenge is usually finding the original source code, and if that’s not available, reverse engineering the retail code of the game so it can be ported to our KEX engine.” 

This problem extends to System Shock 2 Enhanced Edition as well, the studio’s current project. “System Shock 2 has been an incredible challenge as the original code has eluded us. We’ve found pieces, but many of the games’ libraries had to be reverse engineered which is one of the reasons the game has been in development for so long.” But Larry is confident that its release “will be a showcase of what our KEX remastering team is truly capable of.”

System Shock remake’s console version dropped a couple of weeks back and players were glad to see a reworked control scheme for controllers. Larry assured us that “our team delivered highly-optimised experiences that anyone playing on either a base PlayStation 4 or a high-end PC would thoroughly enjoy. It took a great deal of time and effort but it was worth it.” As for the control scheme, he admitted it was the most challenging aspect of bringing this game to consoles. “We’re still tweaking the controls on consoles for future patches based on feedback, but System Shock is a very complex game that was built for a mouse and keyboard. Translating that to a gamepad was an incredible challenge.”

Despite being an obtuse puzzle for players to figure out, the System Shock remake was met with positive reviews from players and critics. By avoiding objective markers and arrow indicators so commonplace today, Nightdive Studios proved that it understood the soul of the original game. It’s a positive sign that indicates demand for faithful remakes that respect a game’s roots while sharpening its defining features. 

When we asked Larry about games Nightdive would be interested in remaking, he replied “Deus Ex, Outlaws, Arx Fatalis – those are just 3 of many classic games we’d love to remaster.” The third one is an interesting choice, considering the recent closure of Arkane Austin by Microsoft. Despite Arx Fatalis’ mixed reception back in 2002, many fans (including yours truly) believed it to be a worthy rival to sprawling RPGs like The Elder Scrolls. I’d love to see a remake that captures the game’s sense of exploration while respecting decisions that won’t necessarily be player-friendly today. And yes, I’m talking about its magic system based on drawing runes mid-air with your mouse to cast spells. Here’s hoping that Nightdive Studios gets to work on it someday.