Night Dive Studios

Lore & Background

Nightdive Studios was founded in November 2012 by Stephen and Alix Kick, former video game artists for Sony Online Entertainment, after Stephen Kick was unable to purchase a copy of the 1999 game System Shock 2. He negotiated with the rightsholder Star Insurance Company, which had acquired System Shock and other assets from the defunct developer Looking Glass Studios, and Nightdive Studios re-released the game via GOG.com in February 2013. The company was acquired by Atari SA in May 2023.

Reader's Guide

The company's first hire was Daniel Grayshon, a writer of System Shock modding guides based in the United Kingdom. Nightdive Studios brought System Shock 2 to Steam in May 2013. Later that year, it released updated versions of I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, Harlan Ellison's 1995 game based on his eponymous short story; Wizardry VI, VII, and 8; and the Trilobyte games The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour.

Did You Know?

• The company name was inspired by Stephen and Alix Kick's shared passion for diving, especially night diving, and Stephen specifically recalled one night dive he had experienced in the Great Barrier Reef.
• Night Dive Studios was initially located in Portland, Oregon, later moving to nearby Vancouver, Washington.
• The rights to the System Shock franchise had been acquired from Looking Glass Studios by Star Insurance Company, while the trademark was retained by Electronic Arts.