Last month, I wrote on the complicated history of No One Lives Forever - a cult classic shooter in perpetual legal limbo. In brief: nobody really knows who owns the game, and parties that might own the game have roadblocked attempts at a remaster.
Still, that hasn't stopped Nightdive Studios from continuing their efforts to bring the beloved game to modern platforms. I recently asked CEO Stephen Kick and Director of Business Development Larry Kuperman about the current status of a modern release.
"It is a process that we're continuing," said Kuperman. "There are a couple of different challenges with that title in particular. There were multiple companies involved in creating No One Lives Forever. You need to get some degree or another of sign-off from those companies."
Kuperman continued to detail the legal status of the game. "The second part that is a complexity is that those games were done prior to the conversion to electronic document storage. Often, there was a contract that was done that references an earlier contract. Those contracts are in storage boxes in various basements of buildings." He likened the process to a "byzantine maze."
"You ever seen the first Indiana Jones movie?" he laughed. "Welcome to that world."
But Nightdive isn't discouraged, and plans to continue their pursuit of the IP.
"We continue on with our mission to unearth and bring back these classic games," stated Kuperman. "With each success that we have - especially high-visibility successes - people become more aware of what Nightdive is doing, and of the gravitas of our company."
With any luck, those big successes will lead to the restoration of No One Lives Forever that the game deserves. The audience for it is definitely there - it's only a matter of the right people saying "yes."
My full interview with Kick, Kuperman, and Community Manager Karlee Wetzel will go live this Sunday.