Tencent has taken over the rights for System Shock 3, with OtherSide Entertainment stating they are happy to continue working on the franchise as a smaller Indie studio.
The aniticipated sequel to System Shock 2 had been in development limbo since its whole team had reportedly been laid off earlier in February 2020, putting the third game on ice. According to VGC and others, Starbreeze had undergone financial difficulties and sold the System Shock 3 rights to OtherSide, known for their work on Underworld Ascendant. Since then, the developers haven’t shared updates on the sequel until now.
With Tencent taking over the project, it’s unknown how much of the existing resources will be adopted to push development forward. System Shock 3, or alternatively a reboot of the series, was also announced sometime before the layoffs. Developed and published by Nightdive Studios, the game saw a demo, 2020 release stamp and extensive gameplay footage before going dark again. The responsibility now goes to Tencent to eventually finish a different System Shock sequel as a remake is also under development.
“It had been challenging for us to carry the project on our own,” Otherside wrote in a tweet and post. “We believe Tencent’s deep capabilities and expertise as a leading game company will bring the franchise to new heights.”
The System Shock series, was originally made in 1994 as a sci-fi first person shooter. It was hailed by critics and fans as an immersive game which inspired the likes of BioShock and Deus Ex as “spiritual successors” from developer Ken Levine who began working with 2K after developing System Shock from Looking Glass Studios. The company had since closed in 2000.