Two beloved Soul Reaver games from developer Crystal Dynamics may be getting the remastered treatment, according to what appears to be a leak out of San Diego Comic-Con. Branding for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I & II Remastered — an unannounced project — has been spotted at comics publisher Dark Horse’s booth at SDCC 2024, strongly hinting at a revival of the long-dormant franchise.
If accurate, the project sounds like it will contain remastered versions of 1999 game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, released for the original PlayStation and later ported to Sega Dreamcast and Windows PC; and sequel Soul Reaver 2, released for PlayStation 2 and Windows PC in 2001. Both games starred vampire-turned-wraith Raziel as the playable character in his quest to exact revenge on his master Kain, star of the first game in the franchise, Legacy of Kain.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 were developed by Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics, and both were directed by Amy Hennig, who later went on to work at Naughty Dog, Electronic Arts, and Skydance Interactive.
The seemingly unintended reveal of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I & II Remastered came courtesy of a display at Dark Horse’s booth, where the company showcased a pair of statues featuring Raziel and Kain battling each other.
Image: Con Quests on YouTube
Polygon has reached out to Crystal Dynamics for comment and confirmation on the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I & II Remastered project and will update when the company responds.
A remaster of the Soul Reaver games is certainly in line with Crystal Dynamics owner Embracer Group’s plans. In 2022, after acquiring Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and the team at Square Enix Montreal (and the associated IPs Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Legacy of Kain, and Thief), Embracer said in an earnings report that it saw “great potential, not only in sequels, but also in remakes, remasters, spinoffs, as well as transmedia projects” based on those franchises.
Part of that plan was realized earlier this year, when Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr released Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, a lavish overhaul of the first three games starring Lara Croft. The quality of that product would seem to be a good omen for fans of the Soul Reaver games (and Deus Ex and Thief), but we’ll have to see what Crystal Dynamics and friends have in store when and if Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I & II Remastered are officially revealed.
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