Nightdive Studios and Alcon Entertainment are revitalizing the 1997 adventure title Blade Runner for modern gaming on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the game originally developed by Westwood Studios, of Command & Conquer fame, was based on the cyberpunk classic but does not directly adapt the film’s narrative. Instead, it “follows detective Ray McCoy as he hunts down renegade replicants, or androids that look remarkably human, in a futuristic version of 2019 Los Angeles.”
It was an award-winning and critically-praised game and the fact that Nightdive Studios—who have restored classics like System Shock and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter—is behind the enhanced edition of Blade Runner is exciting news.
This is an even bigger announcement than gamers might think, though. The original source code and assets were lost when Westwood Studios relocated the offices to Los Angeles.
In the THR exclusive, Larry Kuperman of Nightdive Studios acknowledged the loss and mentioned how the development team reverse-engineered the code, which is a laborious process.
This makes us all the happier that this restoration is happening and that gamers will be able to enjoy Blade Runner on modern consoles soon.
Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition will hopefully launch in 2020, so stay tuned for updates on the game.