Warren Spector, who was a producer on the original System Shock, joins OtherSide Entertainment to work on System Shock 3.

OtherSide Entertainment today announced that veteran developer Warren Spector has joined the team as a studio director. Spector is best known for his work on games like Deus Ex, Epic Mickey, Thief, Wing Commander, Ultima, and the original System Shock. He will be leaving behind his job as the Director of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy in the University of Texas’ Moody College of Communication. This will be Spectors first work on a game since the closure of Junction Point Studios at the end of 2012, a studio he founded underneath Disney Interactive where Spector acted as the key designer behind the Epic Mickey titles on the Wii and other popular 7th generation gaming platforms(sequel only).

“I’ve loved working with students,” Spector said. “But when the opportunity to have a bigger role in bringing Underworld Ascendant to life, as well as playing in the System Shock universe once again, helping to bring these games to a 21st century audience, I just couldn’t say no. Working on System Shock was one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done in my career and it’s hard to describe how much I’m looking forward to sharing with players what SHODAN has been up to since the last game was released.”

The opportunity to work on the next System Shock was too great an opportunity to pass up however. OtherSide Entertainment secured the rights to use the System Shock trademark from Night Dive Studios recently, and has assembled staff from the original games, including Terri Brosius, the voice of SHODAN, and other key members of the original System Shock and System Shock 2 teams will be part of the sequel. This includes Paul Neurath, who oversaw the original series’ development, Nate Wells, a senior artist on System Shock 2, and Robb Waters, the lead concept artist of both original games.

Neurath, who founded OtherSide Entertainment, had this to say about Spector joining the team: “I’m delighted to have Warren stepping up into a director role at OtherSide and helping lead the charge with our innovative approach to gaming, I can think of no one better suited to take on this creative challenge. Warren has changed the industry before and will do so again.” Spector looks to be spearheading efforts on System Shock 3 while OtherSide continues working on Underworld Ascendant, the successor to the Ultima Underworld series.

Personally I have been a fan of pretty much every game Warren Spector has created, and I look forward to seeing how System Shock 3 turns out. Let us know how you feel in the comments below, or share your favorite memories from past games made by Spector.