10 Video Game Remakes NO ONE Expected
6. System Shock
The System Shock remake had such a turbulent production, it's very existence is miraculous.
Planned as a mere remaster in 2015, Nightdive Studios believed they could make a System Shock reboot by using the Unity engine. After their Kickstarter campaign nearly doubled their targeted goal, System Shock Version 2 looked like a sure thing.
Unfortunately, everything went back to the drawing board, when director, Jason Fader concluded System Shock could only be done justice with the Unreal Engine 4, rather than Unity. Unable to decide whether the IP would work as a remake or a reboot, the whole production went into hiatus. When Nightdive failed to attain financial support and workers were reassigned to other projects, it looked like the show was over.
But in 2018, head developer, Larry Kuperman assured fans that System Shock was looking at a 2020 release.
However, 2020 came and went, with the hyped title only existing as a demo. Due to the pandemic, fans had to wait another three years before getting their hands on the highly anticipated shooter.
And the final result was... good, but not great.
Although the new System Shock looked and played phenomenally, it failed to update some outdated mechanics, making gameplay feel archaic at times.
2023's System Shock may have fallen short of expectations, but it still has to be commended, considering the hell its developers endured.