Nightdive Studios has partnered with Alcon Entertainment onBlade Runner: Enhanced Edition, a modern restoration of the classic 1997 video gameBlade Runnerfor Steam and the PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox consoles.
Originally released in 1997 by Westwood Studios,Blade Runnerwas one of the most innovative adventure games of its era. Long praised as a master-class in game design for its painstaking recreation of the sci-fi cinematic masterpiece, the game delivered an unforgettable gaming experience with groundbreaking graphics, an original musical score, and a canonical branching narrative seamlessly interwoven with the events ofRidley Scott’s 1982 feature film.
Once lost for years and only recently coming out of retirement, this seminal game will soon become widely available to a whole new generation of gamers around the world. Fans of the cult classic can expect a polished and premium restoration from Nightdive using their proprietary KEX game engine, which has been used to restore classic video games across all digital platforms includingSystem Shock: Enhanced Edition, Turok, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Blood,andForsaken Remastered. Nightdive has also sourced the original foreign-language translations, so fans can enjoy the game in German, French, Italian, and Chinese just as Westwood intended.
Blade Runner:Enhanced Editionwill feature updated character models and animations, up-scaled cut-scenes using machine learning algorithms, widescreen resolution support, keyboard and controller customization, and much more. However, fans will be pleased to learn that the original look and feel of the game is being preserved.
“Blade Runneris still a jaw-dropping achievement on every level, so while we’re using KEX to upgrade the graphics and respectfully elevate the gaming experience in a way you’ve never seen before, we’re still preserving Westwood’s vision and gameplay in all its glory,” said Nightdive CEOStephen Kick. “While you can enjoy the benefits of playing the game on modern hardware, the game should look and feel not as it was, but as glorious as you remember it being.”
The Alcon-Nightdive partnership was brokered byJoe LeFaviof Genuine Entertainment, who is co-producing the game alongside Nightdive and Alcon Interactive Group. No stranger to the franchise, LeFavi previously producedThe Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049,Alcon’s top-selling art book for their Academy Award-winning film sequel in 2017.
Releases across Steam, console, and other platforms are expected in 2020. Stay tuned for more details on the highly-anticipatedBlade Runner: Enhanced Editionas development continues.
Here’s a look at the original trailer for the game as it appeared back in the mid-90s:
