‘A modern restoration’
Do androids dream of current-gen remasters? That’s the question Nightdive Studios looks to answer with “a modern restoration” of the 1997 point-and-click Blade Runner game.
Nightdive’s work on Blade Runner includes using the developer’s proprietary KEX engine to modernize the game. The remaster features: “Updated character models and animations, upscaled cutscenes using machine learning algorithms, widescreen resolution support, keyboard and controller customization, and much more.”
This sort of project has been Nightdive’s bread and butter for a while now. Its list of re-releases over the past seven years is quite extensive. Some of the more notable ones are System Shock 2, the first two Turok games, and the upcoming Doom 64. Currently, Nightdive is also working on a remake of the original System Shock.
Blade Runner is set to launch sometime in 2020, probably near that other cyberpunk game that’s releasing this year — but no date has been announced yet. It’s branching out in terms of platform, though. The 1997 Blade Runner was only available on PC; this re-release is coming to PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. If you don’t feel like waiting, the original is available on GOG for $10.
