Larry Kuperman from Nightdive Studios joined us to talk about the TV adaptation of System Shock. If you are unaware Nightdive Studios mission is to take some of the classics from gaming history and revamp them for a modern audience, System Shock being an example of this and one of their greatest success stories. 

Larry also discussed Binge, the streaming service that the System Shock TV adaptation will premiere on, focusing on gaming related media really goes to show how the games industry has really begun to garner the respect and attention of other industries such as film and television. With the pandemic starting in 2020 gaming had a phenomenal year with about 170 billion dollars of revenue generated in the industry. 

When asked about Nightdive’s involvement in the project Larry stated that their role is more passive and that they are mostly there as a reference or a resource for whatever the project needs or if they need specific information from what is now, the System Shock Universe. Larry also gives out the advice at this time that if you want to get into the industry under any means necessary, or in his words “join the circus”, be willing to sweep up after the elephant. He goes on to explain that working in the industry is not as romantic as it sounds, there are days where he has to review contracts, sit in meetings for hours with lawyers, etc. It is not as simple as sitting at home and playing video games all day. 

When asked Larry clarified that there is currently no date for the release of the System Shock TV adaptation. Larry takes this opportunity to talk about the games industry and the obsession with release dates that can then lead to backlash from the community when they are not satisfied with a release after they demanded the release to be as soon as possible. They are in fact giving Binge as much as time as they want to perfect this tv adaptation rather than rushing it out. 

Key Takeaways:

• After the boom in sales, due in part to the pandemic, the games industry has a lot more eyes on it and gained the respect of other things such as film and television, explaining why so many adaptations are being greenlit now.   
• Nightdive is taking more of an advisor role for the television project, serving as a place for Binge to get information and insight into where the show will stand when compared to the games. 
• Working in the gaming industry is not all fun all the time, there are definitely some boring parts that you have to sit through but if you want to get involved be willing to the lowest positions first. 
• Release dates can be a curse in the industry. Nightdive does not commit to dates and so the System Shock show also has no dates. Release dates can cause a cycle of hype and disappointment that just creates an overall feeling of negativity.