Nightdive Studios has confirmed its ambitions to re-release spy shooter No One Lives Forever, even in the wake of the closure of developer, Monolith Productions. The game has been on the company’s radar for several years now, but has been described as a “white whale” it’s trying to catch.
“We’d like to bring back all of the titles in that series,” Larry Kuperman, director of business development at Nightdive told PCGamesN in 2024. “But it’s about finding the terms and getting all of the parties that could potentially be involved to say ‘yes please, go ahead.'”
Now, in a new interview with VGC, Kuperman and Nightdive studio head Stephen Kick have doubled down on these plans, confirming that while Monolith’s closure by Warner Bros. makes the process for the securing rights to No One Lives Forever a bit uncertain, the team still wants to resurrect the game in future, and will continue pursuing this goal.
“I don’t think we really know how that’s going to shake out,” Kuperman told VGC. “I think that’s too recent an event … There’s a certain challenge to that, but again, I’m not sure how that whole thing is going to shake out at this point, and I’m still optimistic on that.”
Read: Game preservation is difficult work – but we must do it now
Leaning on hope and optimism for No One Lives Forever
“Optimism” for No One Lives Forever was also the feeling of Kick, who described a “general kind of shift” in the games industry that would actually open doors for Nightdive’s work. While the closure of studios is devastating for those involved, it means preservation work becomes more important than ever.
In circumstances where games are abandoned or otherwise uncared for, Nightdive is in a position to step in and provide the means to resurrect those games, complete with refreshed features, graphics improvements (where needed), and options for modern multiplayer.
“I think that there’s at least a potential for something good to come out of that, but I don’t know,” Kick told VGC. On its strategy for the future, and for reviving No One Lives Forever, Kick simply said the edict is, “Never give up. We don’t give up.”
For fans of No One Lives Forever, this dedication will likely come as a relief. While the game is not often discussed in the context of mainstream retro games, there’s certainly plenty of folks who fondly remember this adventure (and its sequels) for its snazzy 60s style, snappy gameplay, and tongue-in-cheek Bond-inspired plot.
It arguably cemented Monolith Productions’ reputation as a unique game developer, and it’s what led into the company’s eventual purchase by Warner Bros. and subsequent releases, like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. It’s an important part of games history, and one that deserves to be preserved for future generations.
If any studio should be responsible for bringing this series back, it’s Nightdive – and we hope by amplifying this story, more eyes will be on this ambition. With a plethora of fantastic remasters and ports under its belt, it’s time to lend the rights to No One Lives Forever to Nightdive, and bring back the beloved cult series.
