Shodan is waiting for you to return, hacker © OtherSide Entertainment

For a person who's had a hand in some of the most influential video games of past decades, Warren Spector is disarmingly humble. Quick to highlight the talents of others over his own, he has the air of an individual who isn't content to simply sit on past glories, and instead constantly strives to break new ground.

That's perhaps why he's back in games development after spending more than two years helping the University of Texas build a new post-baccalaureate game development program, known as the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy. With titles such as Deus Ex , Ultima Underworld , Thief and Epic Mickey on this CV, it's not really that surprising that Spector has once again been tempted back to development.

The esteemed game designer has joined OtherSide Entertainment to work on System Shock 3 , the third game in a series he created way back in 1994 while employed at Looking Glass Technologies. Set in a far-flung future where a malevolent artificial intelligence named Shodan has taken over an orbital space station, the player is tasked with hacking their way to survival. The original game was praised at the time of release for its lack of linearity and focus on emergent gameplay – two elements which are common in much of Spector's most acclaimed work.

"OtherSide is a company started by Paul Neurath, the founder of Looking Glass back in the day," Spector says. "Under his leadership, Looking Glass created the Ultima Underworld, System Shock and Thief properties, among others – a really great track record. I've been an advisor to OtherSide since its creation and joined the company full-time about a year ago. The company's based in the northeast, but I'm building a team in Austin, Texas to make System Shock 3."

Given that System Shock 3 is still very early in development, Spector's team remains relatively compact at present. "It's just me, tech director Jason Hughes, art director Arturo Pulecio and design director Chip Sbrogna," he explains. "We're in concept phase, where we blue-sky what game we want to make before diving into pre-production to determine how to build that game. You don't want a big team in concept phase. All three of the guys here have more than 15 years of experience so they know what they're doing. We've also gotten support from Paul and others up in Boston who worked on the original System Shock games."

Warren Spector is a true gaming legend © Nintendo Life

While Spector is famous for being the driving force behind the 1994 original, the sequel, which appeared in 1999, was produced without his input, yet is also lauded by the press and public alike.

While you might assume that Spector would therefore gravitate towards the first title when it comes to the theme of System Shock 3, he reveals that he's a fan of the second game as well, and wants to mix the best elements of both in this new venture. "People loved System Shock 2," he says. "I played the second game, of course, and enjoyed it immensely, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the first game, which took a less traditional approach to roleplaying than the sequel. We've been wrestling with how RPG-ish System Shock 3 should be, how to deal with the 'Psi' powers introduced in System Shock 2 and whether to go for System Shock 2's more overt horrific elements. I think players will find we've achieved a balance of the two games. That's our goal, certainly."

Indeed, it would appear that Spector has some key objectives in mind for this new release, and that includes tying up a few loose ends and reviving some old concepts. "When I say we're making a System Shock game, there are some things I really want to do," he says. "I want to include Citadel Station, even though it was – apparently – destroyed in the original System Shock. I want to include Shodan as the primary adversary, obivously. And I want to get back to the Hacker as the hero. In tone – fear, paranoia, tension – we'll follow the lead of System Shock and System Shock 2, for sure. But will the game pick up directly after the second game? You'll have to wait and see."

Dare you return to the Citadel? © OtherSide Entertainment

When you talk about the System Shock series, it's impossible to simply skip over the role of Shodan, the quite terrifying AI antagonist. Learning that this devilish creation will play a major role in System Shock 3 should trigger a mixture of joy and trepidation in long-time fans of the games, all the more so since AI has made such astonishing leaps since the 1990s.

"Shodan will definitely play a role, but I want to keep the details to myself for now," says Spector with a smile. "What I will say is that we'll be investigating some of her motivations from the earlier games, instead of just treating her as if she were insane. She deserves better than that. She's super intelligent and should behave that way. She isn't insane; everything she does makes sense to her. We're going to play with that in System Shock 3."

Of course, the playing field has moved on a lot in the last quarter of a century. It's tempting to ponder if these titles really stand up when compared to subsequent examples of the genre. Thankfully, Spector insists that this new outing will be brought bang up to to date. "We’ve learned a lot about creating immersive simulations since the '90s, and you’ll see those lessons brought to bear in System Shock 3," he says.

In terms of inspiration, he admits that he often has to fight the urge to reference another of his most famous games, but he also has admiration for other recent titles. "I find it hard not to be influenced by Deus Ex, for better or worse. I have to work hard not to turn the games I work on into Deus Ex-style games. There are some things about Shadow of Mordor that we find appealing, though it's obviously a very different style of game. Prey , most recently, certainly feels System Shock-y. But we're really trying to do our own thing rather than borrow from other games."

What does Shodan have in store for players? © OtherSide Entertainment

Thanks to a deal with Starbreeze, System Shock 3 will be coming to consoles as well as PC, and Spector reveals that working with the Swedish company has been a pleasant experience. "Starbreeze has been great to work with. They've been hugely important. For starters, they're funding the game! Beyond that, they have expertise in some areas we want to explore that I, at least, don't have. I'm learning a lot from the folks at Starbreeze. Plus they're just good humans. I'm actually trying to teach myself Swedish, that's how important Starbreeze is to this project. Learning their language is the least I can do."

Will System Shock 3 show up on the Switch? Honestly, I have no idea. Warren Spector Spector admits that porting the game to consoles will represent a sizeable challenge, given the PC origins of the series, and while it's still too early to discuss final platforms, he's not able to confirm or deny that a Nintendo Switch edition could happen. The man who created the sublime Nintendo exclusive Epic Mickey clearly has a lot of affection for the Japanese veterans, though. "I'm awfully proud of the team and the game we made," he says when reminded of the critically-acclaimed Wii release. "As far as the Switch goes, I wish I had one! If Nintendo wants to send me one, I won't turn it down. Otherwise I'm going to have to wait for some store to get them in stock, just like everyone else. I need to play the new Zelda game! As soon as I get a Switch, I'm likely to disappear for a while. "Will System Shock 3 show up on the Switch? Honestly, I have no idea. That might actually be a question better answered by the Starbreeze folks." A question that Spector is better positioned to answer is when we'll actually see System Shock 3 in any form. "You never ask a developer that question!" he shoots back with a smile. "That aside, it's way too early to be talking about release dates."

System Shock fans may have had to wait quite some time for a new title, but ironically they're actually getting two games thanks to the fact that Night Dive Studios is also remaking the 1994 original using modern tech.

"Both Paul Neurath and I have spoken with Night Dive about what they're doing, but we're doing our thing and they're doing theirs so there hasn't been much opportunity to provide input," says Spector. "I think what I've seen looks cool, and I'm looking forward to playing System Shock again in a more modern form. I think having the original System Shock game out there is likely to remind people how cool the franchise is, as well as bringing new people into the Shock fan community. From that perspective, it's all good. Our game will be sufficiently differentiated that I'm not worried about it."

We end our chat with one of the gaming industry's true legends by asking how he feels to have been involved with such an influential and beloved video game creation. Humble as ever, Spector refuses to take too much credit. "The team at Looking Glass was insanely talented, on an individual level and collectively. The guy who deserves the most credit for System Shock's success is really Doug Church – he led the day-to-day charge on the game. A real secret master of gaming.

"It is nice to have worked on a game that 'changed things', if only a bit. I mean, I can look at Thief and Bioshock and Deus Ex, now Prey, and see a bit of System Shock in each of them. That's pretty darn cool. I'm just glad to have played a part in the process."