System Shock & Deus Ex Creator Is Working On A New Game
Warren Spector, the creative mind behind Deus Ex and System Shock, is currently working on a brand-new immersive sim at OtherSide Entertainment. Spector played a key role in the production of Looking Glass Studios' System Shock, the seminal first-person immersive sim that essentially laid the groundwork for titles such as BioShock and Dishonored. However, many would argue that Deus Ex constitutes Spector's most notable work to date.
Both System Shock and Deus Ex have returned to the forefront in the last decade or so. For one, Nightdive Studios remains hard at work on a System Shock remake set to launch in 2022. 2011's Deus Ex: Human Revolution allowed the iconic dystopian world to reenter the spotlight with a tale told years before the first game's protagonist, JC Denton, became a major player. While the future of both franchises presently seems unknown to a certain degree, it's clear the spirit of the immersive sim genre will continue to live on. Fortunately for fans of the genre, Warren Spector has decided he wants to help carry the torch once again.
Recently, developer OtherSide Entertainment announced that industry pioneer Warren Spector currently leads development on a new intellectual property at the studio. Fans of Spector's previous work will be pleased to learn the mystery project is an immersive sim, though details remain scarce as of writing. In a statement about the project, the developer teased that an "engaging narrative" informed by player choice and playstyle will rest at the core of the experience. Since the original System Shock producer's unnamed title presently sits in the early phases of production, OtherSide may not have concrete information to share for quite some time. The below image represents key art for the game:
Along with luminary Paul Neurath, founder of Looking Glass Studios, Warren Spector established OtherSide Entertainment in 2013. In the nearly 10 years since then, the team has helmed VR game Underworld Overlord and Ultimate Underworld sequel Underworld Ascendant. OtherSide also once took part in the development of the long-gestating System Shock 3. Whatever the studio has planned for its next project will undoubtedly prove interesting.
Immersive sims don't crop up very often anymore, but everyone once in a while the genre receives a new lease on life. One recent example includes Arkane's Looking Glass-inspired Deathloop, a first-person shooter experience that borrows heavily from the traditions on display in the likes of System Shock and Deus Ex. Hopefully, the genre continues to evolve in the modern era of gaming.