Nightdive Studios is Ready to Remaster PS3 and Xbox 360 Games

Nightdive Studios, renowned for reviving classic games on contemporary platforms with user-friendly enhancements, has declared its readiness to undertake projects involving PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles. In a chat with VGC, studio head Stephen Kick and Larry Kuperman, the director of business development, expressed their ambition to broaden Nightdive’s gaming portfolio by incorporating seventh-generation consoles.

Kuperman stated that they are prepared,” he said when asked about updating games that have been long forgotten due to being console-exclusive on PS3 and Xbox 360. Kuperman further clarified that the process would involve asking a few queries, like whether the game was ever released for PC or if it was solely exclusive to consoles.

He mentioned he’d like to pose a few queries: “Was the game exclusive to Xbox 360, or was there a PC version as well? This factor affects preservation, you see. Do we have access to the source code? If yes, what is the condition of it? Let’s also discuss the assets. These elements are crucial in our deliberations. To clarify, there were some fantastic games from that period that shouldn’t disappear.

Kick often discusses the studio engaging in dialogues with the creators of various games, such as the team behind the PS3-exclusive shooter “Haze.” He shares that he would ask these developers what changes they might have made if given another chance. For instance, this approach was applied when communicating with the developers of “System Shock 2” for the remastered version.

‘It didn’t perform as well as expected, I’m certain you’ve had ample time to reflect on what you might have done differently.’

Previously, we’ve engaged in similar conversations with the creators of certain games, offering them a chance to share their ideas for improvements. In the instance of System Shock 2 Remastered and many other titles under consideration, when they are moved or imported onto newer systems, several technical issues such as frame rate, refresh rate, texture resolution, streaming, and loading times often become less problematic.

In simpler terms, during the discussion, Kick mentioned the difficulties arising from the one-of-a-kind hardware structure of the PS3. To put it in perspective, Sony referred to the PS3’s processing unit as the Cell processor. This system had the ability to scale up significantly and deliver a substantial amount of power when required. However, due to the fact that no gaming hardware before or after has been built on a similar architecture, this unique design brought about its own development hurdles. Kick suspects that remastering PS3 games might prove to be more challenging as a result.

Absolutely,” affirmed Kick when inquired about the challenge of porting PS3 games due to their architecture. “I recall the initial discussions about this system’s complexity, which has been a persistent issue for developers trying to adapt it, and that’s a key obstacle with backwards compatibility.

The PS3 had a unique feature when it first launched – it could play PS2 games. However, this came at a cost because they were essentially incorporating the hardware for two systems. In other words, they weren’t able to find a more efficient solution that would allow the PS3 to run PS2 games natively.

Absolutely, when we reach the stage of playing games from the PS3 era, there’s no denying it will pose a challenge for us. However, with the amount of experience we’ve accumulated thus far, I am confident that we can manage a satisfactory job on a PS3 remaster.

According to Kuperman, having an in-house engine like Nightdive Studios allows them significant benefits when transferring older games to contemporary hardware. Furthermore, this situation presents an opportunity for the studio to refine and enhance their own KEX engine in the future.

As a devoted follower, I’d like to highlight an intriguing aspect of the Nightdive tale – the perks of having our very own engine. This component plays a significant role, and it’s a crucial piece of the Nightdive puzzle that Kuperman mentioned. With our unique engine at hand, we can explore possibilities that others might not be able to, so who knows what Sam could come up with using KEX? It’s an exciting thought!

The most recent significant launch from Nightdive Studios is The Thing: Remastered. This revamped version of the classic shooter has become their best-selling title to date, quickly capturing the interest of gamers. For a comprehensive analysis, be sure to read our review.

2025-04-02 13:41

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