System Shock reboot opens for crowdfunding next week — here's your preview (update)

By Allegra Frank @LegsFrank
on Jun 24, 2016 at 12:00p

Rewards, new art and even a demo

System Shock is still getting remastered, but don't call it System Shock Remastered anymore.

Just ahead of the game's Kickstarter campaign launch, developer Night Dive Studios told Polygon that the upcoming re-imagination of Looking Glass Technologies' 1994 game has a new name now: System Shock.

"We felt that the amount of passion and resources that we are putting into this game elevated it beyond the expectations that someone would have for a remaster," CEO Stephen Kick said. "This is a full-fledged reboot of a classic game into something new."

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We've gotten glimpses of the reboot through early alpha footage and screenshots. When the crowdfunding campaign starts at 12 p.m. PT next Tuesday, June 28, nostalgic backers and the genuinely curious alike will have a chance to actually play System Shock themselves. A short demo of the Windows PC version will be made available to anyone through Steam, GOG and Humble the same day that the Kickstarter opens.

Polygon got an early look at that build, as well as the various rewards that will be offered just to those who back the crowdfunding project. Take a look at some screenshots above — we'll also have a full gameplay video up early next week.

We also got a preview of some of the campaign rewards. These include a collector's edition box with a physical copy of the game (launching on both Windows PC and Xbox One), a miniature and a manual, among other items; there's also a Razer-brand laptop with System Shock-centric detailing. There will be other rewards offered on a variety of tiers.

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These and other rewards are still being revised ahead of the crowdfunding campaign's launch. The game is still a work in progress too, and players may note some unfinished parts of the user interface here and there.

For those looking for even more System Shock in advance of the demo and the full game's release — scheduled for sometime next year — take a look at some of the concept artwork by original artist Robb Waters below.

Update: The Kickstarter page is now live and includes download links to the free demo.