Tencent is now working on OtherSide's System Shock game

Tencent is now working on OtherSide Entertainment’s upcoming System Shock revival in some capacity, though the actual extent of the partnership is a bit of an unknown.

The exact announcement shared by OtherSide Entertainment today via Twitter says that Tencent is now “taking the System Shock franchise forward,” and falls after a reportedly turbulent period for the studio’s work on System Shock 3.

Just in the last year or so, OtherSide has had to grapple with the sudden loss of publishing support when Starbreeze sold back publishing rights to System Shock 3 as it scrambled to get its own finances in order.

That deal, first forged in 2017, originally pledged $12 million to System Shock 3’s development, and while terms of the buyback weren’t disclosed at the time, the announcement did note that Starbreeze “fully expects to be reimbursed for costs the company has had in connection with the development of the game."

Since, reports of high-ranking departures from OtherSide have circulated (via VGC) and updates on the game have been largely absent from the studio’s social media pages. Earlier this week, rumors of Tecent’s involvement in the series were sparked by news that ownership of the websites for System Shock 3 and 4 were both transferred to Tencent, followed by today’s news that Tencent is officially involved in the franchise’s future. 

“As a smaller indie studio, it had been challenging for us to carry the project on our own,” reads a second tweet from OtherSide. “We believe Tencent’s deep capabilities and expertise as a leading game company will bring the franchise to new heights.”