The Chinese giant keeps the rights to the sequels, although it is not clear if the current developer will continue to be involved in the project.
The indications had already reached the media. The registration of several web domains by Tencent (systemshock3.com and systemshock4.com) foreshadowed the outcome. And it is that after almost a year without news about System Shock 3, it has been officially announced that the Chinese company will take over the franchise from now on. The official in charge of the agreement has been Other Side Entertainment, the developer who was working on the video game.
He has done it through his official Twitter account: "We are happy to announce that Tencent will take over the franchise." And they add: “Being a small studio, it has been very challenging to take the project on our own. We believe that Tencent's deep capacity and experience as a leading company will take the saga to new heights. ”
Although the tweet hints that the Chinese company owns the intellectual property, Nightdive Studios – the studio that develops the remake of the first installment – has denied it: “Other Side licensed some rights to make sequels. These rights have been transferred to Tencent ”, explains a representative. "Nothing about this transfer affects our property."
1/2 We are happy to announce that Tencent will be taking the #SystemShock franchise forward.
– OtherSide Entertainment (@OtherSide_Games) May 20, 2020
Who develops the game?
It is unclear whether Other Side Entertainment will continue to be linked to the development of System Shock 3, especially given the issues the studio has faced in recent months. Among voices talking about layoffs, the company gave signs of life very recently, when they assured that they were still alive and kicking:
“We are working remotely right now, probably like many of you. Our new concept is going very well and we are really excited about it. We have a great and distinctive artistic style, "they said in a statement without reference to SystemShock 3. The new project is built under the Unreal Engine 4, according to the developer.
