System Shock 3 Officially Revealed, Might Support VR
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We already knew System Shock 3 was about to be announced, but now that the countdown on OtherSide Entertainment's teaser website has reached 0, the game's development is officially a reality. The current version of the website doesn't offer much except for a piece of art, a sample of Terri Brosius' voice work as SHODAN and the option to subscribe for more content, but the fact that the developers are gauging interest in Virtual Reality is interesting and certainly fits the themes of the previous two titles.
Additionally, thanks to the press release we learn that the game is currently in its conceptual phase (understandable, as OtherSide is still neck-deep in Underworld Ascendant's production), that the team includes members of the original System Shock and System Shock 2 development teams and that Terri Brosius will reprise her role as SHODAN, and that OtherSide had secured the exclusive IP rights for "all future versions of the franchise" several years ago, making them the perfect and only candidate for Night Dive's recent resurrection of the franchise:
OTHERSIDE ENTERTAINMENT TO MAKE SYSTEM SHOCK 3
Looking Glass Founder Paul Neurath Unites System Shock Series Talent for Authentic, Innovative Sequel
Concord, MASS December 14, 2015 OtherSide Entertainment, the development studio behind the upcoming fantasy RPG Underworld Ascendant, is excited to officially announce development on System Shock 3, the sequel to the landmark System Shock series.
Last week, OtherSide posted a teaser website (www.othersidetease.com ) with cryptic lettering hinting at a new game. Internet hackers quickly cracked the site, prematurely revealing the game's title. As part of the fun, series' AI antagonist SHODAN appeared to mock the hackers with new taunts each day.
On the updated teaser site today, fans can hear popular voice actress Terri Brosius (System Shock 1 & 2, Dishonored) reprise her role as the voice of SHODAN and see an early peek at the evolving '˜next generation' look of the character by artist Robb Waters.
Key members of the original System Shock and System Shock 2 teams will be part of the sequel. This includes Paul Neurath, who oversaw the original series' development; Nate Wells, a senior artist on System Shock 2; and Waters, the lead concept artist of both original games.
The path to bring the System Shock franchise forward was long and winding. Several years back, OtherSide secured the exclusive IP rights to all future versions of the franchise. Only recently, through partnership with Night Dive Studios, who owns the System Shock trademark, did OtherSide get the rights to use the System Shock name for the sequel.
System Shock 3 is currently in the early concept stages of development. Fans can register on the teaser site (www.othersidetease.com ) to receive updates as they become available.
I'd be very surprised if System Shock 3 ended up not being funded at least partially through crowdfunding. As to when the campaign will launch, it's difficult to tell. OtherSide is still busy on Underworld Ascendant, but it's not unheard of for a company to launch a Kickstarter campaign while deep into the development of another game. That said, the first prototype of Underworld Ascendant just went out to backers recently, so the timing for both the announcement and an eventual crowdfunding campaign seems a bit early to me.
