Tencent is taking over troubled RPG 'System Shock 3'
The Chinese company will be 'taking the System Shock franchise forward.'
Chinese conglomerate Tencent will be “taking the System Shock franchise forward,” developer OtherSide Entertainment has announced. A few days ago, ownership of the System Shock 3 website was transferred to Tencent Holdings, sparking rumors that the Asian company will work on the RPG franchise’s upcoming sequel. Now, OtherSide has confirmed the reports.
1/2 We are happy to announce that Tencent will be taking the #SystemShock franchise forward.
— OtherSide Entertainment (@OtherSide_Games) May 20, 2020
System Shock 3 was announced way back in 2015. As Eurogamer notes, it suffered from various setbacks, including losing its publisher Starbreeze due to money troubles. While we saw a pre-alpha glimpse of the game at GDC 2019, reports that the game is no longer in development circulated earlier this year.
In a follow-up tweet, OtherSide said that it’s been difficult to work on the game on its own as a small indie studio and that working with Tencent is the right way to go.
2/2 As a smaller Indie studio, it had been challenging for us to carry the project on our own. We believe Tencent's deep capabilities and expertise as a leading game company will bring the franchise to new heights.
— OtherSide Entertainment (@OtherSide_Games) May 20, 2020
In a statement sent to Eurogamer, NightDive Studios said that OtherSide only transferred “certain rights” to make sequels to the Chinese corporation. NightDive, which is working on a remake of the first System Shock for modern consoles, still owns the System Shock IP.