After arriving last year on PC to considerable critical acclaim and positive fan reception, Nightdive Studios' System Shock remake is now available on current-gen consoles. The road to the System Shock remake was a long and arduous one, with Nightdive practically forming just with the express purpose of reviving the franchise and making it more accessible. Nightdive would eventually form plans for both a remake of the original game and a full-fledged sequel in System Shock 3 after remastering and porting the first two games to Steam, but more recent rights acquisitions put that sequel up in the air. That said, there's still hope for System Shock 2.

Like its predecessor, System Shock 2 is one of the games from the now-legendary Looking Glass Studios and also happens to be many players' first exposure to the work of Ken Levine. Following System Shock 2's release, Levine would go on to form Irrational Games and begin work on the title's spiritual successor, BioShock, with Looking Glass Studios' closure leaving the rights to System Shock 2 up in the air for nearly two decades. Now that Nightdive Studios has successfully delivered a faithful remake of the original System Shock, it should come full circle and offer a modern-day reimagining of its more impactful (and arguably better) sequel.

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System Shock Remake Shows the Pros and Cons of Adhering Too Closely to the Original

Nightdive Studios' System Shock remake is an impressively faithful adaptation of the 1994 original, sometimes to its detriment.

System Shock 2's Enhanced Edition Can Give Way to a Full-Blown Remake

In addition to bringing the original, unaltered System Shock 2 to modern PCs via a Steam release, Nightdive Studios has also been busy developing an Enhanced Edition of System Shock 2. Now that the ground-up remake of the original System Shock is out in the world and on consoles, it stands to reason that the studio's efforts will be put toward getting System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition out the door, but there's no reason to stop there. Even though Nightdive no longer has the rights to original games using the System Shock IP, it does still have the ability to reimagine the groundbreaking System Shock 2.

A full-blown remake of System Shock 2 could even use the lessons learned from remaking the original System Shock to help it release in a fraction of the time. The development delays of the System Shock remake were primarily caused by the switch from the Unity engine to Unreal Engine 4, but the successful launch of System Shock means that a lot of the heavy lifting toward a System Shock 2 remake has already been done. Using System Shock's faithful adherence to its source material as an inspiration, a System Shock 2 remake could improve the already solid foundation and give the game a modern visual uplift while leaving what still works intact.

Judas' Upcoming Release Gives Cause for Nightdive to Strike While the Iron is Hot

Ken Levine's next game, Judas, might still be a ways off in terms of its release date, but that's done little to dissuade the anticipation of fans expecting yet another excellent first-person shooter/immersive sim hybrid from the famed developer. And Judas is far from the only upcoming title that has a clear throughline to the likes of System Shock and BioShock, with inXile Entertainment's Clockwork Revolution right around the corner as well. In terms of drumming up excitement for the games that owe a debt of gratitude to System Shock 2 while also paying homage to the sequel as a pivotal release in gaming history, a remake of System Shock 2 could kill two birds with one stone.

Tencent's acquisition of the System Shock rights means that players will likely never get the chance to experience Nightdive Studios' vision for System Shock 3, but the studio's tenure with the franchise is far from finished. After releasing System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition on PC and consoles, there's every reason for Nightdive to ride the wave of hype for Ken Levine's next game and pay homage to his past with a faithful remake of the groundbreaking System Shock 2.