Starbreeze to invest nearly £10 million into System Shock 3

Starbreeze has announced that it is to publish the in-development System Shock 3, and is investing nearly £10 million into making sure the game is a worthy entry into the classic cyberpunk franchise.

While arguments have been made as to whether much of the love for the original System Shock is misplaced nostalgia, there's little argument that the short-lived two-game franchise remains popular despite having dropped out of print years ago when Looking Glass Studios was dissolved and the rights scattered to the wind. It wasn't until 2013 that the rights to the franchise would be recovered and a re-release of the second game announced, followed by a remastered version of the original, plans for a complete remake, and finally confirmation of a ground-up new entry in the franchise with Warren Spector fully on-board with its development.

Now, that planned third game has received a shot in the arm thanks to a publishing agreement with Starbreeze. The deal will see Starbreeze publish PC and console versions of System Shock 3, which is to take place immediately after the events of the second game in the series, and provide developer Otherside Entertainment with $12 million (nearly £10 million) in cash to aid in its development. Previously, Otherside has confirmed the involvement of both industry giant Warren Spector, who was responsible for the original game, as well as staff who worked on both System Shocks, Deus Ex, and Thief: The Dark Project.

Sadly, Starbreeze has joined Otherside and rightsholder Night Dive in remaining silent about a scheduled release date for the game.