While game development studios often look to expand their teams, this largely tends to happen when the studios in question are getting ready to work on a larger project. A pair of new job listings now indicate that Nightdive Studios – known for its work in remastering and remaking classics – is now gearing up to work on a larger project of its own. The job listings are for a Level and Quest Designer, and an Environmental Artist.
While not too many details about the project have been revealed, the job listings do indicate that the work will be done in Unreal Engine 5, along with other tools like Blender. We also get a few hints about the nature of the project owing to some of the descriptions in the Essential Duties and Responsibilities, as well as the Preferred Qualifications sections. For instance, applicants for both roles should like Sci-Fi and Horror media and have an appreciation for retro games.
The Level and Quest Designer will also have to work hand-in-hand with Environmental Artists to “ensure levels are both visually compelling and mechanically functional.” Along with this, the job descriptions also note that the game will make use of environmental storytelling, as well as scripted events. These descriptions would indicate that Nightdive Studios might finally be getting ready to work on a follow-up to its remake of classic horror shooter System Shock.
A remake of System Shock 2 would be seen by many as an obvious choice for Nightdive Studios. The game, after all, can feel quite dated at times even in its recent remastered release. This should come as no surprise since the title first came out all the way back in 1999, and ended up laying the foundations for gameplay mechanics, level design and environmental storytelling that would go on to inspire many other games, including the seminal Deus Ex, as well as Irrational’s BioShock series.
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster came out on PC back in June, with a console release coming slightly later in July. The game features support for many modern technologies, with its resolution going all the way up to 4K. Players can also experience the horror RPG at high frame rates, and controllers have been fully supported thanks to a revamped UI. There have also been other improvements made to the classic title, including enhanced character models, animations, and even the environments. To cap it all off, the game also got support for co-op multiplayer.
The last time Nightdive Studios went beyond just remastering its titles was with System Shock Remake. While a predecessor to System Shock 2, the classic horror shooter had quite a few differences when it came to level design, general gameplay mechanics, and even how its story was told. The title largely revolved around the player waking up on Citadel Station and trying to figure out how to make it out of the labyrinthine space station alive, while also having to deal with the machinations of psychotic AI SHODAN, who has seemingly formed a god complex once she was able to fully take over Citadel Station.
For more details about System Shock Remake, check out our review. Also check out our review of System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster.
