Summary
- Plaques mentioning "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered" were recently spotted at SDCC 2024.
- Crystal Dynamics has yet to officially confirm the existence of this project, although its parent company previously acknowledged the fandom's continued interest in the series.
- Remastering the iconic Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver games could be the publisher's way of gauging interest in the franchise before financing a full-fledged sequel.
Remasters of multiple Legacy of Kain games appear to be in the pipeline. Specifically, some newly emerged evidence indicates that Crystal Dynamics is currently working on modernizing Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and its direct sequel.
Originally started in 1996, the dark fantasy action-adventure series has been dormant since 2003. Nearly two decades later, Embracer Group acknowledged the fan desire for a new Legacy of Kain game after acquiring the IP as part of its 2022 purchase of Crystal Dynamics.
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Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remasters Teased at SDCC
And while it's still unclear whether the company plans to act on those demands, it would appear that it at least plans to revive the series by modernizing some of its most popular entries. That's suggested by several exhibits that were recently spotted at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, which kicked off on July 25. As first reported by ResetEra forum user Mama Robotnik, the ongoing festival's attendees have a chance to see a display case with some Legacy of Kain figures that are accompanied by plaques mentioning "Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered."
Aside from the Crystal Dynamics logo, the plates also include the branding of Embracer Group subsidiary Dark Horse Comics. A QR code is part of the designation as well, but scanning it merely takes the user to the sign-up page for the newsletter of Dark Horse Direct, a division of DHC specializing in limited-edition collectible manufacturing. The remasters themselves are name-dropped via a brand-new logo that seems to reuse the font of the first Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver game from 1999.
This SDCC teaser was spotted mere weeks after Crystal Dynamics announced The Dead Shall Rise, a Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver prequel novel intended to commemorate the game's 25th anniversary, which falls on August 16. Made in partnership with Bit Bot Media, the graphic novel will be at the center of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that's planned to launch before the end of 2024. And while nothing official has yet been said about the potential Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver remasters, these newly emerged SDCC plaques seem to indicate that these games are indeed in the works.
Remastering the cult-classic titles could be Crystal Dynamics' way of gauging fan interest in the series before committing to a full-fledged sequel. Although the franchise itself technically started with the 1996 Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, it is most commonly associated with the subsequent Soul Reaver entries. The second of those, released in 2001, is still widely considered as one of the best Crystal Dynamics games ever made. It owes its cult classic status to its memorable characters, philosophical themes, and innovative gameplay centered on the ability to shift between the material and spectral realms in order to solve puzzles and navigate the game's world.
- Date Founded
- July 8, 1992
- Headquarters
- Redwood City, California, United States
- Parent Company
- Square Enix, Eidos Interactive, Embracer Group
- Known For
- Tomb Raider