The System Shock franchise was acquired by Tencent

The vicissitudes related to the development of a new chapter of System Shock have been known for some time. But, during this period of isolation due to COVID-19, we had received reassuring news from Walter Somol. The VP of the marketing and business development division had in fact reassured the fans, claiming that the project was moving forward working remotely, in compliance with the regulations for employee health. Quite unexpectedly though, it was recently disclosed that the IP System Shock was acquired by Tencent.

For the uninitiated, Tencent is a Chinese holding company at the head of numerous companies operating in the fields of entertainment, mass media and information technology. In the gaming sector, for example, in recent years it has acquired two giants such as Riot Games (League of Legends) and SuperCell (Clash of Clans). The acquisition of System Shock was announced by OtherSide Entertainment via Twitter, and it is the software house itself that explains the motivation that led to this agreement:

2/2 As a smaller Indie studio, it had been challenging for us to carry the project on our own. We believe Tencent's deep capabilities and expertise as a leading game company will bring the franchise to new heights.

- OtherSide Entertainment (@OtherSide_Games) May 20, 2020

As a small Indie studio, it was a challenge to carry out this project on our own. We believe Tencent's deep skills and experience as a leading gaming company will lead the franchise to new heights.

In short, after numerous problems related to production, the studio raised the white flag and chose to rely on an industry giant. If this can be a winning choice, we will find out only when the long-awaited third chapter of the IP born in 1994 is released. Judging by the comments on the tweet, however, this solution is not liked by some fans, who fear the cumbersome presence of Tencent .