As part of the Realms Deep stream, 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks have announced a release date for the remaster of Kingpin: Life of Crime. Named Kingpin: Reloaded, it’s set to release on December 5, 2023.
Kingpin: Life of Crime was originally released in 1999 by Interplay. It would prove to be the last game by developer Xatrix Entertainment before much of the staff was transferred to Activision under a studio known as Gray Matter Studios. Xatrix was known for the Redneck Rampage and Cyberia games.
It would largely be overshadowed by the more forward-thinking Half-Life, but Kingpin brought a few innovations of its own. It had side-quests, the Pawn-O-Matic shop system, and a skill system that has you starting off inexperienced with new weapons before gradually building up accuracy.
The remaster seems to essentially be targeting texture fidelity. The muddy filtered textures have been overhauled to look better at higher definitions. However, the wobble of the 3D objects still exists, which I find interesting. That’s not exactly unwelcome and probably the best we can hope for when it comes to the remaster of such a niche title. I’m just always happy to see a game get upgraded for modern systems.
Kingpin: Reloaded is chambered for a December 5, 2023 firing date. PC (via Steam) is the only listed platform.
