Summary
The Thingis getting a remaster after 22 years. The upcoming release aims to offer another generation of gamers a chance to experience the cult-classic horror game based on John Carpenter’sThe Thing.
Despite sharing the name with the 1982 film,The Thingisn’t an adaptation of the iconic horror movie, but instead serves as its direct sequel. It was widely praised at launch and eventually secured two accolade nominations, in addition to winning the Game Innovation Spotlight award at the 2003 edition of the Game Developers Conference. The positive buzz helped it surpass one million worldwide sales, a significant commercial success for an early-aughts survival horror title. Many genre aficionados still considerThe Thingto be one of thescariest Arctic horror games in existence.
The Thing: Remastered Promises 4K Gameplay At Up To 120fps
The 2002 classic is now set to make a return in the form ofThe Thing: Remastered, announced on June 7. While the original was made by the now-defunct Computer Artworks, this new version of the game is being handled byAtari subsidiary Nightdive Studios, the company behind the 2023System Shockremake. Like many of the developer’s ports,The Thing: Remasteredwill run on Nightdive’s proprietary KEX engine, with the studio vowing to deliver significantly updated, high-definition visuals. Specifically, select versions of the game will target a 4K resolution and 120 frames per second.
The Thing: Remastered Is Coming in 2024
Exact performance targets will be platform-dependent, as the remaster is coming to a wide variety of systems, ranging from the Nintendo Switch and PC to the latest two generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Although Nightdive Studios has yet to commit to a concrete release date, the game is confirmed to be aiming for a 2024 launch. PC gamers can alreadywishlistThe Thing: Remasteredon Steam. While pricing details are yet to be announced, Nightdive’s track record indicates that the game is unlikely to retail at full price. $39.99 is plausibly beyond the upper limit of what fans can expect, as that’s the regular retail price of theSystem Shockremake, which was ostensibly a much more time-consuming project for the developer to complete.
The game’s upgraded visuals will comprise improved character models, higher-definition textures, and revised animations, which have largely been remade from scratch. Modern lighting and atmospheric effects will also be part of the package, helping to bring the game in line with contemporary sensibilities. Visual changes aside,The Thing: Remasteredis said to be a “faithful restoration” of theiconic horror game that recently turned 20.
The modernized version ofThe Thingisn’t the only remaster that is currently in the works at Nightdive Studios. June 2024 also saw the companyannounceKilling Time Resurrected, a new and improved version of a classic horror shooter from 1995.
