System Shock 2 needs little introduction. It was a massively influential sci-fi immersive sim that went on to influence countless titles that game after, including Bioshock. It’s also the game that put Nightdive Studios on the map in 2014 after the studio managed to obtain the rights to the System Shock franchise and get a modern PC-compatible version of the game up on storefronts like GOG.
That’s why it’s fitting that, to celebrate System Shock 2’s 25th anniversary, Nightdive Studios is working on a comprehensive KEX Engine remaster of this PC gaming classic, launching on June 26. It has been a long-time coming though, as System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster was first teased under a different name over five and a half years ago. At GDC 2025, I went hands-on with the opening hour of the remaster and found it to be a beautiful rendition of an all-time gaming great. And there’s a good reason that it’s taken this long to get it.
The time is right for this remaster
“When we first launched System Shock 2, we did not have our own engine,” Nightdive’s VP of Business Development Larry Kuperman tells Digital Trends. “We did not have KEX. We were able to work with our partners at GOG and make the game playable, but that was it. There were no enhancements there and we had no real ability to do anything. Now, we’re able to remaster the game using our engine and the experience that we’ve accumulated.”
Nightdive has cemented itself as a master of the remaster through its enhancements of games classics like Doom and Star Wars: Dark Forces and more obscure titles from The Thing to PO’d. The studio’s prowess at making remasters is on full display with System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster. It looks prettier than most graphics mods can even make the original look, and felt good to play with standard controls on a Steam Deck.
We just wanted to make sure that this was as good as it could possibly be.
This is actually the first time System Shock 2 is going to be playable with a controller, so Nightdive has thoughtfully tweaked the UI and controls by building on the foundation it set with its remake of System Shock. The studio even plans to record some new dialogue for the game to replace voice acting in the original that specifically calls out PC inputs. Plus, there are smaller but important modifications, like removing some copyrighted images from the original and reworking animations so players no longer float a bit above the ground.
Overall, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster looks to be a very thorough, faithful remaster on par with Nightdive’s previous work. Still, it took a bit longer than usual before Nightdive could give it the full amount of attention it deserved. Kuperman explains that other projects like Doom + Doom 2 popped up and pushed back work on the remaster a bit
“It was other projects,” Kuperman says of the long development cycle. “When Bethesda comes to you and says ‘Would you like to remaster Doom and Doom 2?’ it didn’t take me long to answer that question. Then, the question was while we’re doing those, what won’t we be working on actively. System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster was always in development, but it was the question of how much resources would you put toward it.”
Meanwhile, Studio Head Stephen Kick says that due to System Shock 2’s importance to the studio and how big of an undertaking this remaster was, it took a little longer for Nightdive Studios to bring it to market.
“The whole studio was founded on the re-release of System Shock 2, and we took a lot of time with this,” Kick tells Digital Trends. “It was also a combination of its significance to the studio and it being a lot more complicated than we thought it was going to be. There’s a lot of systems running in the background that would not be immediately apparent to a player at face value. It really tested the expertise of our engineers and artists. We just wanted to make sure that this was as good as it could possibly be.”
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster launches on June 26 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
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