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Night Dive Studios - All News

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Friday - June 09, 2023
Tuesday - May 09, 2023
Thursday - July 07, 2016
Thursday - November 26, 2015
Tuesday - November 10, 2015
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Friday - June 09, 2023

Night Dive Studios - Considering an XCOM style Prequel

by Silver, 02:35

TechRadar reports on Night Dive Studios CEO Stephen Kick's thoughts on a potential prequel using XCOM like mechanics set in the System Shock universe.

The System Shock remake may be out now, but that doesn't mean developer Nightdive Studios is done with the IP.

There's a System Shock 2 remaster coming soon after all, but there might be more. Nightdive CEO and System Shock remake director, Stephen Kick, spoke to TRG in an interview about the development of the game. Towards the end of the conversation, Kick revealed that the team may have plans for the franchise going forward, but not necessarily jumping right into a remake of System Shock 2.

"There's been a lot of discussions about what it is we want to do next," Kick says in our interview, "whether that be a full on remake of System Shock 2 or if we want to let the Enhanced Edition breathe on its own for a bit. 

"But we've talked about exploring the System Shock universe in different genres. Maybe an XCOM-like that takes place before the events of System Shock 1, where you're the resistance on Citadel Station, fighting SHODAN’s cyborgs and machines. Personally, I think that would be really cool. To kind of experience it from a different angle."

[...]

Tuesday - May 09, 2023

Night Dive Studios - Atari is on the rise, and we wanted to be part of that

by Hiddenx, 15:00

Gamesindustry.biz eplains why Nightdive Studios joined Atari:

Nightdive: "Atari is on the rise, and we wanted to be part of that"

The highly regarded remaster and remake specialist on its decision to sell to Atari

Out of all the news that came out of this year's bumper GDC, there was one story that stood out to me personally: Nightdive being acquired by Atari.

As a person of a certain age, I am very fond of Nightdive. They have made a plethora of excellent remasters of 1990s video games. These include famous names such as Quake, Doom, and Turok, and some lesser-known gems, such as Powerslave and Shadow-Man.

Nightdive's track record isn't flawless, but it gets things right most of the time, and I was a little concerned to hear it had hitched itself to Atari. The iconic games brand isn't exactly held in high regard today. In recent years, it's mostly been in the headlines for blockchain and Web3 initiatives, or for hotels. It has scaled back a lot of that stuff now, but it has a reputation for constantly shifting its strategy and not actually releasing anything significant.

"My initial response was: 'Oh really, Atari?'," admits Evelyn Mansell, who is one of the leads on Nightdive's upcoming System Shock remake.

"I am a lot more comfortable with it now. Everything that Wade [Rosen, Atari CEO] and Atari have said so far has been on the money. I am not worried about it."

Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick adds: "Wade is fresh blood in the Atari vein. And he brings with him an unparalleled knowledge and love for classic games, which is rarely seen in the industry. It's going to sound cliché, but he gets it. He understands why Atari was so important to so many people, and he understands what he needs to do to elevate it back up to that level that it previously enjoyed.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Thursday - July 07, 2016

Night Dive Studios - Interview @ShanePlays

by Silver, 02:07

ShanePlays interviewed Night Dive Studio's Stephen Kick recently on System Shock amongst other things like Chris Avellone's involvement. There is a podcast version available here if you prefer that.

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Thursday - November 26, 2015

Night Dive Studios - First Screen Shots from System Shock 1

by Silver, 01:15

Polygon has first exclusive screenshots from the System Shock 1 remake. Thanks to Xian for noticing this!

"We have been in contact with members of the original System Shock team and any future iterations of the System Shock games, and by this I mean both new titles in the series as well as major updates to the existing games, will be very true to the spirit of the originals," Kick told us.

That commitment to preserving the essence of the 1994 release is made apparent in concept artist Robb Waters' participation with the remake, which will be powered by the Unity engine.

SS1 remake image medical

The images are embedded and I can't link them all here.

Tuesday - November 10, 2015

Night Dive Studios - How One Company is Bringing Games Back from the Dead

by Silver, 22:26

@fastcompany Jared Newman interviews Stephen Kick on the history of Night Dive Studios

These sorts of calls are part of what Kick and his colleagues at Night Dive Studios do for a living. Night Dive, based in Vancouver, Washington, is in the business of reviving long-lost video games, a process that's rarely as simple as making old code work on new computers. Figuring out who owns the rights to these games can take detective work, and the negotiations don't always pan out. So far, Night Dive has only published about 60% of the games it has pursued.

Still, when the company succeeds, the payoff can be significant. Nostalgia sells, especially in gaming, where old favorites are constantly rendered unplayable by new hardware. While it's not unusual for major publishers to revisit their past-Nintendo, for instance, dedicates a section of its downloadable game shop to the classics-Night Dive is unique in that much of its catalog doesn't consist of obvious slam dunks. Even its highest-profile releases, such as System Shock 2 and The 7th Guest, are cult classics at best.

Night Dive Studios are remaking some games going forward and acquiring ip outright. As well as looking at the possibility to develop sequels through external partners.

From Revivals To Remakes

During our conversation, I ask Kick if he ever sees himself tiring of this line of work. After all, he entered the games industry as an artist, but now spends most of his days managing staff and talking with rights holders. He responds by noting that every day is different, and insists he's in it for the long haul.

Still, Night Dive's business is starting to change. With most of its current catalog, Night Dive merely licenses the rights for a rerelease, and splits the sales revenue with the rights holder. Night Dive is becoming more interested in acquiring rights in their entirety, as this gives the company much more flexibility.

One example: Night Dive is developing a full remake of the original System Shock, going well beyond the basic rerelease that launched a couple months ago. Night Dive has acquired the full rights to the franchise, and Kick says he's been working with Robert Waters, the game's original concept artist, to reimagine his designs from the early 1990s.

"Seeing the difference between his artistic abilities back then compared to now, and his ablity to reinterpret those ideas, it's just been really exciting for us," Kick says.

Part of the plan for this remake also includes a console version, which would be a first for Night Dive. Kuperman believes much of the company's future growth will come from creating console adaptations for more PC games, along with some ports for mobile devices.

We may even see a System Shock 3 someday, though Night Dive would need a larger publisher to take on the task. Kuperman says the company is "having some conversations" on this front. "To really do another game in that series is going to take resources and time and commitment that we don't have, and it's really not our core business," Kuperman says. (Until now, 2K Games’ Bioshock series has stood in as a spiritual successor.)

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