![]() ![]() While the core underlying gameplay would still retain some of the Ultima Underworld DNA, the new sci-fi setting naturally changed the potential scope somewhat. From there, lead programmer and designer Doug Church led the creation of this new sci-fi adventure. It was an imperative from Origin, in fact, that started down the route that would become System Shock, with the publisher concerned that it was leaning a little too heavily on dungeon crawling for its line-up of games. It wasn’t until close to the end of the sequel to this game in 1993, however, that discussions started to happen around what was next. The inklings of this new open-ended approach to RPGs was already there in Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, Looking Glass’ first release with publisher Origin Systems in 1992. The start of it all came from Looking Glass Studios, then known as Looking Glass Technologies, the developer that essentially pioneered the player-driven gameplay of the immersive sim genre. So what happened to turn it around? How did System Shock go from limited adoration by a cult fanbase to a broad recognition as one of PC gaming’s most important releases? So it’s funny to think, because now if you say the name System Shock to a gamer, not only will they likely know what you mean, but there’s a high chance that you’ll elicit a rather excitable response from them. Yet while it did manage to sell enough to be considered a worthwhile effort, it was termed by those involved at the time a ‘disappointment’ in terms of sales. It was even wellreceived by critics, so it wasn’t like there weren’t people raving about it. That’s not to say that those who played it didn’t love it, in fact to those people it was immediately captivating and unlike anything they had ever experienced before. ![]() It’s funny to think that back when System Shock first launched, it wasn’t met with such a big audience. ![]()
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