No One Lives Forever Remaster Could Be Underway

In February, Warner Bros. Games shut down Monolith Productions, having decided their Wonder Woman initiative would simply fall apart. It was shocking that the story of a famous studio ended in this way. Interestingly, Warner Bros. has planned to revisit one of their intellectual properties from the early 2000s, No One Lives Forever, which was developed by Monolith Productions.

No One Lives Forever was originally released on PC and even on the PlayStation 2. Two years later, it got a sequel called No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. However, after that, the franchise never saw any new releases or further updates from the studio. That, however, is likely going to change very soon. Given Warner Bros. Games' current financial challenges, they now seem to focus on their successful franchise, like the Batman series and Hogwarts Legacy, along with reviving old successful IPs.

Night Dive Studios, an American developer working on bringing lost and forgotten games, has been associated with GOG and has been running surveys asking fans what games they would want to get remastered or updated for present systems. Stephen Kick, CEO of NightDive, and Larry Kuperman, Director of Business, were interviewed by VGC regarding the potential remastering of No One Lives Forever, and they remarked something like, "I don't think we really know how that's going to shake out, I think that's too recent an event, and I'm not sure."

And to be honest, here is where optimism seems to be in its best mood. Sometimes, events like this present chances for such things when the sector experiences major changes. So yes, there's at least some possibility of something positive developing from it. They were quite clear with their last quote: "Never give up. We don't give up."

The challenge, though, is that Monolith Productions is gone. Given that they are the ones who know the game inside and out, one would usually head to the original studio for something like this even if the publisher has the rights, having the original developers participate could make a great deal of difference—whether it is for guidance, uncovering outdated properties, or simply sharing great behind-the-scenes data for nostalgia's sake. Otherwise, it is a little more challenging for any new studio to take over such a project.

Nonetheless, No One Lives Forever is a very original game. This lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek interpretation of '60s spy action is steeped in humor. Frankly, there are many young players who have never even heard of it. Though most current-gen gamers haven't played it, they'll be more than interested in playing a remake or remaster. I know I would.