Gaming Purists analyzed the problems of the System Shock remake project:
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Thanks Farflame!Dissecting the SYSTEM SHOCK cancellation apology
The Long (to say it mildly) awaited SYSTEM SHOCK remake by Nightdive studios was announced to be on ‘hiatus’ by it’s CEO Stephen Kick. This came as a massive disappointment for all of us who were rabidly anticipating the game. If there’s a game that needed a remake, it was the original SYSTEM SHOCK. It’s a groundbreaking classic that is responsible for pioneering a lot of the design trends, that eventually would go on to rehape the modern AAA Industry. It boasts the legacy of the legendary ‘Looking Glass Studios’ in its veins and that alone makes it forever validated as a piece of history.
Now that dream seems to be dead (for a while), all we have is a rather submissive, extremely self-critical apology from Kick. I had some free time on my hands, so I figured why not take the time to figure out what it all means (using the man’s quotes himself):
“Maybe we were too successful. Maybe we lost our focus. The vision began to change. We moved from a Remaster to a completely new game. We shifted engines from Unity to Unreal, a choice that we don’t regret and one that has worked out for us. With the switch we began envisioning doing more, but straying from the core concepts of the original title.”
Two things to keep in mind: 1) The original SYSTEM SHOCK was a very,very complex game. One of the most complex games you’ll ever play. It’s more like a Rubik’s cube the player gradually learns to solve, rather than a pick up and play ‘journey’ 2) They actually raised $1.3 MILLION in kick-starter cash. That’s a lot of money for a game that complex. Remaster or otherwise, that’s not a game that will be played by everyone. Which, if you’ve raised $1.3 Million for, you probably have to reconsider. You’re spending somebody else’s money on something whose intricacies will be lost on most players, obviously there is bound to be second guessing at multiple times during development.
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