Earlier in the year, Nightdive Studios (System Shock Remastered) announced plans to work with Alcon Entertainment, Blade Runner rights holder, to remaster the classic Blade Runner game from 1997. The point-and-click adventure’s arrival was projected for a 2020 release on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox One platforms. However, such a launch window is no longer on the cards. Nightdive Studios is delaying the title to an unspecified date, primarily due to the various obstacles encountered during the restoration process.
Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick confirmed the change in plans in an interview with Eurogamer. He then went on to divulge details about the challenges in remastering the Westwood Studios-created classic. EA acquired the developer in 1998, resulting in Westwood’s changing offices. Unfortunately, Blade Runner’s source code got lost during the move. Kick told Eurogamer, “there have been some obstacles we’ve had to overcome in terms of the old technology the game uses. And our hunt for the original source code and assets have come up empty.”
Though Nightdive has spoken with EA about what may be in the vault of Westwood content, Kick and Co. have yet to receive a “clear answer.” Kick continued,
And even if there was something, it’s very unlikely they would release it to us for legal reasons, mostly, which is a bit of a disappointment, because we were hoping to at least get the original audio recordings. So we’re basically working off what was in the original game at this point and not having access to any original stuff. I’ve been led to believe that there’s some stuff but no-one will ever know.
With no other stones left to turn, Nightdive must resort to reverse engineering Blade Runner’s code for the Enhanced Edition. This and a few other technical hurdles means development on the remaster is taking longer than Nightdive anticipated. As a consequence, the crew can’t yet reveal when the project will be ready for public consumption.
[Source: Eurogamer]
