System Shock 3, whatever happened to it?

14 June 2008

Posted by:Ferry

Back in June 2006 American gaming magazine Game Informer’s Loose Talk column mentioned System Shock 3 was in development at Electronic Arts, who in January 2006 had renewed the System Shock series trademarks. The creators of the original two games at Irrational Games, who now worked for Take Two after a takeover, weren’t developing it but instead the team who made The Godfather game.

In August 2006 the PC Gamer UK magazine also revealed the project has been assigned to EA Redwood Shores (The Godfather), since the series creators were working on a spiritual successor of their own called BioShock. This reveal was made all the more controversial when as part of the magazine’s interview Irrational Games’ Ken Levine (designer of the original games) said: “One of the reasons I wasn’t interested [in System Shock 3] is EA just didn’t give a sh*t about that game… I think if EA were to do it, it would’ve been just a regular first-person shooter with a boss monster at the end. They [EA] didn’t see it as big brand and I didn’t want that uphill battle.”

The Official Xbox Magazine later in 2006 remarked that the original lead designer, Doug Church, of the series is part of the development team for System Shock 3. — In July 2007, the month before BioShock’s release, creator Ken Levine once again answered the question whether or not he’d like to make System Shock 3. To quote: “Man, that question is completely out of the hands of a little man like me. But we took the core principles from the last game and weaved them into Bioshock. To me the game principles are more important than what fictional universe the game exists in.”

Since the FPS/RPG hybrid System Shock 2 (EA’s first Mature-rated game back in 1999) has become such a cult classic, it’s hard to imagine EA wouldn’t at least attempt a sequel. But it’s been two years since we last heard any rumblings about the game and unless it shows up at E3 2008 in mid-July [it didn't], System Shock 3 seems like it died a quiet death. But at least the fans have BioShock 2 and 3 to look forward to!

Quotes via: Kotaku, Macnn, CVG, Arstechnica, Gamepro

Categories: Features, News, PC News

Mike

I’ve just read the above comment about SS2 having a mature rating (EA’s first Mature-rated game back in 1999) Could this be why EA seems uninterested, any game which cannot sell to kids being seen as a marketing disaster and quietly killed.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Chandlermaki Chandlermaki

Damn, The b*stards at EA need to get there heads on straight and realize how many fans System Shock 2 has gotten in recent years. It would be a gold mine.
Bullet Magnet

just finished system shock 2 (having played through bioshock for the 2nd time i thought i would go all retro) and wow what a game it still is. ok bioshock is almost a like for like rip off of ideas (but i dont have a problem with that at all) in an alternative universe but i would love to see another system shock game but with a modern game engine, challenging AI, improved physics, realistic modelling and all those other things games developers have at their disposal now adays could lead to one hell of a game
JKay

Only just played syste shock 2 recently, playing as the marines, this game is kickass, a revolution to shooters in its own time, and bioshock doesn’t come close to SS2′s greatness. I can see myself playing it atleast 3 times(one with each class). System Shock 3 must be made, with the original class system and cyber module skill building, or at least make bioshock 2 have all these features
AngryFox

Alright, first, when EA Announced that SS3 was coming out, the entire world at its sister went balistic when it went to Redwood Studios, and not Irrational Games.
Now Redwood Studios is Visceral Games, they did Dead Space, which is awesome by the way, and despite being third person, I can see many similarties between it and System Shock 2 if your looking for Similarities.
Maybe they re-thought their strategies and made System Shock 3 into Dead Space? >_> Anyone think of that? :O
Regardless, here’s always hoping for a SS3 announcement.
Eventually.
BU][ET REMEDY

Bioshock pails i comparison to System Shock (Bioshock) was a complete failure as the sales show
Zakarias

You are on the nose. and unfortunately, “games” have become so commercial and the corporations are so darned concerned with the bottom line, that for the most part, we get a very select few game s that are acceptable, yet game that SHOULD continue are tossed out the window. there is no heart, and soul in gaming anymore… just a cold husk of a studio that seeks a profit rather than a form of profound art.