System Shock producer Warren Spector revealed many new details regarding the upcoming sequel System Shock 3 in an interview with Polygon this week, including some controversial changes that may “infuriate some people.”
Spector recently joined up with developer OtherSide Entertainment as Studio Director, and has since hired on a staff of industry veterans alongside the company’s core team of former Looking Glass employees.
Speaking to Polygon, Spector assured fans that rogue artificial intelligence Shodan, who served as the primary antagonist in previous games, will return for System Shock 3. Players may not recognize her new form, however, as Spector plans to “put her through some changes.”
“Shodan is the heart and soul of System Shock games,” he said. “That’s the beauty of System Shock 3; nobody else has Shodan.”
Spector continued: “She’ll be at the center of the game, but I also want to put her through some changes. [Warhammer Online veteran Arturo Pulecio] has been working on our version of Shodan, which is going to be interesting and different from what people expect. I expect it will infuriate some people but definitely get people talking.”
System Shock 3 will explore the reasoning behind Shodan’s desire to exterminate the human race, following storyline events featured in the original System Shock.
“We never explained why she wants to destroy humanity,” Spector said. “So we’re going to be exploring the idea of a super intelligence and what would motivate a super intelligent AI.”
System Shock 2 ended with Shodan assuming a human form named Rebecca Sutton, and Spector assures longtime fans that System Shock 3 will pick up immediately after the previous game’s cliffhanger ending.
“We are going to be picking up all of the loose threads of System Shock 2,” he said. “Rebecca Sutton is going to appear in this game, for sure.”
Series devotees can also expect to see the protagonists from System Shock and its sequel return for System Shock 3, and Spector teases that “we’re going to tell their story.”
Newcomers to the series will want to seek out an upcoming remake of the original System Shock, which is due to launch in 2017. A release date for System Shock 3 is not yet known.
