UPDATE: It seems that the System Shock IP still is fully in the hands of Nightdive Studios, meaning that Tencent doesn’t own the rights to the entire franchise. Nightdive’s CEO clarified as much on Twitter just recently.
@Nibellion Nightdive owns the System Shock franchise and IP, please don’t spread misinformation.
— Stephen Kick (@pripyatbeast) May 20, 2020
Again, OtherSide’s wording in this announcement was definitely less than stellar and potentially prompted more questions than answers. From what we’re able to gather now, it seems as though Tencent is now just supporting the ongoing development of System Shock 3.
This original story can be found below.
The status of the System Shock franchise, and most notably that of System Shock 3, has been in limbo for a few months now. Earlier this year, it was reported that the development team behind the third entry in the series at OtherSide Entertainment was laid off in droves. Now, it seems as though the developer is passing off the IP altogether.
Essentially out of nowhere, OtherSide today took to Twitter today and announced that Tencent will “taking the System Shock franchise forward.” The wording in this message is a bit strange, but it seems to imply that the license for the IP now belongs to Tencent, which is a Chinese tech conglomerate. Tencent is most notable for having stakes in companies like Riot Games and video games such as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
As for why OtherSide is now giving up System Shock to another company, the developer acknowledged that the scope of the project was seemingly a bit too much. “As a smaller Indie studio, it had been challenging for us to carry the project on our own,” OtherSide said in a follow-up tweet. “We believe Tencent’s deep capabilities and expertise as a leading game company will bring the franchise to new heights.”
1/2 We are happy to announce that Tencent will be taking the #SystemShock franchise forward.
— OtherSide Entertainment (@OtherSide_Games) May 20, 2020
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
Strangely enough, this is the second time within 18 months that the System Shock rights have changed hands. Just last year, publisher Starbreeze sold the publishing rights to OtherSide Entertainment after having a string of troublesome financial quarters. Jump forward barely one full calendar year and the license is again being passed off.
While it remains to be seen what Tencent ends up doing with System Shock, one thing is for sure: the company has very deep pockets. Hopefully, the project won’t run into the same issues that have transpired previously.
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