When we last reported on the Kickstarter-funded System Shock remake from Night Dive Studios, all sounded comparatively properly, and the group had been gearing as much as broaden the scope of their plans, from making a straight remake into one thing extra akin to a modern-day reboot for the collection.
Unfortunately, better scope means a better funds and investments in each time and manpower. After further writer help to again up this new imaginative and prescient didn’t come via, Night Dive are ‘taking a step back’ to reassess the venture and get it again extra consistent with their unique Kickstarter guarantees, as detailed in this (public) backer update from Stephen Kick, Night Dive CEO.
While the replace makes it clear that manufacturing on System Shock isn’t ending or being deserted, it seems like some robust calls needed to be made and we’re seemingly going to listen to extra on the venture within the coming weeks. More than something, it seems like function creep slowed down manufacturing, and whereas the studio are proud of their determination to change from Unity to Unreal, growth was taking place a path that not too many Kickstarter backers had been able to get behind.
Understandably, a lot of those that put cash down on the sport are feeling lower than enthusiastic after this announcement, with no scarcity of feedback on the backer replace declaring the venture useless and buried. While I really feel that’s leaping the gun a bit, Night Dive’s story of creeping ambition and stretching past their unique acknowledged purpose (A ‘faithful reboot of the genre-defining classic’, based on the Kickstarter web page) isn’t too uncommon, and seems like a narrative informed by many a studio for the reason that first videogames waddled their blocky, pixellated little fish-legs out of the primordial code-soup.
Let this be a reminder that as secure a guess as any Kickstarter could appear (the System Shock Remake had a playable demo and copious footage to point out for it), the video games trade is an unpredictable place, and any huge venture like that is fraught with dangers. As good as the chances could also be, backing a Kickstarter ought to at all times be thought-about a raffle, not an funding or a reduced pre-order.
