OtherSide Entertainment, the studio responsible for making System Shock 3, announced on their official Twitter today that they had been acquired by Tencent, putting the future of System Shock in that company’s hands. The statement also said that they hoped Tencent’s experience could bring the System Shock franchise to new heights.
There hasn’t been a System Shock game since System Shock 2 came out, which was all the way back in 1999, 21 years ago. While System Shock 3 was first announced last year, considering it’s being developed by a small indie studio it’s good that OtherSide is getting some support.
Many, however, would have preferred that the studio be acquired by another company that preferably isn’t Chinese, considering that Tencent acquisitions of multiple studios have often resulted in them exerting their influence as China’s biggest gaming publisher to force studios to remove objectionable material, most recently with Blitzchung.
However, despite your feelings about Tencent, hopefully with the proper financial backing and support, OtherSide Entertainment can actually make System Shock 3 the game that every fan of the franchise is waiting for. Plus, the remake of the first game isn’t Tencent-affiliated.
System Shock 3 will feature the return of the rogue AI SHODAN as she takes over a corporate blacksite, changing it into a slaughterhouse as she attempts to “change” humanity into a form that she finds more appealing. As the site’s sole survivor, it’s up to the player to once again put an end to her delusions of godhood.
So far there’s no specific release date set for System Shock 3, but hopefully at some point, possibly during Geoff Keighley’s Summer of Gaming event, OtherSide Entertainment will give us one so that we can look forward to being terrified once again.
Hopefully we’ll be seeing the fruits of the studio’s partnership with Tencent sometime in the near future as well, and hopefully Tencent will be hands-off and allow OtherSide to do its job properly. You can see System Shock 3’s gameplay trailer here.
