Vapourware System Shock 3 by OtherSide Entertainment - taken over by Tencent!

[LESS T_T]

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/tencent-appears-to-be-the-new-owner-of-system-shock-3-and-4-websites/

While the tweet implies that Tencent now owns System Shock, Nightdive Studios, which is currently working on a System Shock remake, clarified that it remains the owner of the property.

"OtherSide licensed certain rights from us to make sequels. Those rights have now been transferred to Tencent," a rep said. "Nothing about that transfer in any way impacts our ownership."

"sequels" as in plural? Guess they actually licensed the rights to System Shock 4 too, huh? It's not a mere musing when Spector said he was also thinking about SS4.

 

[agris]

Which probably pisses nightdive off to no end- if they were licensing SS3/4 to tencent directly, I would estimate they would charge at least an order of magnitude more licensing fees to them than they did Otherside. Like 2+ OOM, frankly.

Now for Nightdive to see stories pop up than tencent “owns” the brand, coming from the previous IP lease-EE, must be infuriating. Insult to injury.

edit: tldr is that Otherside must truly be a bridge-burning shitshow unicorn dev house

 

[LESS T_T]

It always gave me an impression that NDS licensed the sequel(s) to OSE on pretty generous (maybe naive) terms, fewer obligations and restrictions on OSE's side. I'd imagine they were pretty excited about the idea of a sequel made by ex-LGS guys.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Tencent and Chinese gaming companies have been trying to go legit for a while after dozens of mobile game clones. Historically I think they get GGG first and then buying the Torchlights dev and asking them to make the sequel online, so that's somewhat up to par with what they think good games are (basically online games with mtx). But recently they bought shares in Platinum games and Torchlight 2 sequel pivoted from online ARPG to a "normal" ARPG in Torchlight 3. And now they bought Otheside as well. There is rumor in Kotaku they are also hiring a long -time game producer that worked with Kojima (https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/05/report-hideo-kojimas-longtime-producer-joins-tencent/). Their investment in Epic also started as a dev for a popular MMO (Fortnite) but now spiraled out into EGS and I think Epic Game Publishing which will port console-only games to PC. I guess they really really want to expand to the gaming sector proper and just taking whatever they can.

EGS versus Steam discussion has probably done to death elsewhere in General Gaming thread so let's keep the discussion there.

In regards to Fortnite, while we never know what's happening in the background, but the quality of the game seems to be just the same before and after the takeover. Business practice wise, something like Battlepass and seasonal progression (which mostly unlock cosmetics AFAIK) are introduced, but that's on par with other F2P games even western ones like Dota 2 or even Fallout 76. It is also a business practice adopted by a lot of other F2P online games nowadays so it's pretty much a neutral point.

The other game that's "out" I think is Path of Exile. Business practice wise there is no changes after the takeover. Now the game itself has been stagnating, meta-wise, for the last few years. But you can't really say whether that's because Tencent is forcing them to keep the meta or the devs having no idea or unwilling to make major changes on how their game is played.

I am not sure whether any devs have finished a Tencent sponsored game besides those 2. Platinum rejected Tencent intent to publish their latest still in development work I think.

Looking at how Underworld Ascendant turned out there is nothing of loss by this SS3 takeover (besides NDS being pissed I guess). Otherside has been very incompetent from the looks of Underworld Ascendant and SS3 is a dead project that needs external funding, which, due to how clearly incompetent Otherside is, will probably never happen. Heck I believe Tencent is a sucker to buy this at all, but I guess having a famous IP sequel in your pocket is worth the price.

Instead of being developed in-house by Chinese companies this seems will be made by western lead developers so in the end of the day there are not much to kneejerk about. I don't think the game can get worse than what Otherside could be making anyway. Well the finished product will probably set in a Chinese Space Station painted with red tho

 

[sser]

When you confuse your codename for destabilizing the world for a Kickstarter nostalgia grand campaign.

 

[kangaxx]

At least we can say System Shock 3 will be better than Underworld, because it is genuinely impossible for anything to be worse.

You just had to tempt fate, didn't you?

I, for one, am excited to buy the monthly Shodan Points Pass on release.

 

[Lord Commissar Alexer]

CHINA NUMBAH-WON!

 

[SophosTheWise]

That was before the underwhelming sales of Prey and before Raph left the studio. Under the new management in Lyon they're going full SJW with online. See Deathloop if you even remember what that is.

And clinging to the past Arkane is no better than clinging to the past of the people from Otherside.

I mean judging from the trailer, Deathloop doesn't really look like my kinda game but what exactly makes it "full SJW"?

 

[Terenty]

I need to know was Warren Spector given the boot or not? Its important for my shadenfreude

 

[Jasede]

I guess I should be disappointed but since I had no expectations to begin with I find myself uncaring.

Bug games for bug men.

 

[AW8]

I mean judging from the trailer, Deathloop doesn't really look like my kinda game but what exactly makes it "full SJW"?

I don't want to speak for him... but I'm gonna speak for him anyway. It's probably this:

 

[CappenVarra]

well, i guess 50cent wasn't interested so they settled for 10cent

 

[Child of Malkav]

 

[MasterLobar]

Guys, of course OS as a company and everyone including Warren Spector will not be involved in this project anymore. Tencent is doing their own thing now.

The OS people have produced nothing but failures since they founded the company. No way is Tencent going to let them meddle in their development of SS3.

And of course, OS isn't going to have any part in the development. Why else would they fire their entire team and close the Austin studio that developed the game?

The OS guys are now moving on to ruining the next epic franchise.

 

[kangaxx]

They'll probably give it to Supercell and turn it into a mobile base builder.

 

[Harthwain]

I wonder whether Tencent will be using what OS did so far or if they start making SS3 from the scratch... Assuming money isn't the problem, I guess the latter is more likely?

 

[LESS T_T]

I'm inclined to Infinitron's theory. They bring in Warren Spector (and possibly Arturo Pulecio, Art Director) and found Tencent Austin studio or something and make SS3, and then, possibly, SS4.

 

[toro]

At least we can say System Shock 3 will be better than Underworld, because it is genuinely impossible for anything to be worse.

You just had to tempt fate, didn't you?

I, for one, am excited to buy the monthly Shodan Points Pass cybernetic modules on release.

 

[kangaxx]

At least we can say System Shock 3 will be better than Underworld, because it is genuinely impossible for anything to be worse.

You just had to tempt fate, didn't you?

I, for one, am excited to buy the monthly Shodan Points Pass cybernetic modules on release.

FFS that's what they'll call it isn't it? I am openly and preemptively butthurt about this.

 

[MasterLobar]

I'm inclined to Infinitron's theory. They bring in Warren Spector (and possibly Arturo Pulecio, Art Director) and found Tencent Austin studio or something and make SS3, and then, possibly, SS4.

After what OS did to 505 and Starbreeze, I doubt Tencent are going to work with anyone from Otherside. Based on what we know and the trailers we've seen, SS3 was far behind schedule and (likely) way exceeding budget under Spector. The wistleblower confirmed that, too. Warren blew it. No way is TC going to work with him.

I wonder whether Tencent will be using what OS did so far or if they start making SS3 from the scratch... Assuming money isn't the problem, I guess the latter is more likely?

I strongly suspect they are building on the work OS has done. Starbreeze still has a $6.8 million claim on any revenue the game will make (unless they somehow bought them off and SB is out, but there is no evidence for that). I doubt TC would make a $15 million+ game from scratch for which the first $6.8 million go to another publisher. The wistleblower said they had lots of good work to build on, but were far behind on content. So I would say TC are finishing the content side with a new team, not make an entirely new game.

Otherwise, they would have accepted the $6.8 million Starbreeze claim and probably paid OS a sum just for the right to make two games called SS3+4 (not even owning the IP and franchise). That would be odd.

 

[Infinitron]

No, I think if they're actually going to make a System Shock 3 they need Warren Spector onboard if only for credibility. "Totally unrelated Chinese-funded studio now making sequel to classic franchise" wouldn't go over well. It doesn't matter how much you hate him now. Brian Mitsoda was a fuckup too but Hardsuit Labs knew they needed him for Bloodlines 2.

 

[ciox]

Seems pretty optimistic, if they do give the project some familiar heads, let's hope it's not just in the infamous "consultant" role.

 

[Nano]

Too late to cancel it now, so I think the best case scenario is for Tencent to decide against using the System Shock name and use the assets to create a new IP instead. Just like Dead Space. It's not like the Shock name would bring in a ton of sales.

 

[agris]

Most of you aren’t even reading the posts in this thread. Tencent didn’t buy Otherside, and they didn’t buy the shock IP. They bought the rights to make SS3, aka paid otherside to transfer the lease of the IP to them. It’s unclear if any assets were bought, and no where is it written that they bought otherside.

 

[Nano]

Let's just stop posting until we get more details, then.