Over the last couple of days, I’ve been playing the recent heretic + hexen remaster that was announced and revealed at quakecon 2025 (Thank you, Thank You, Bethsda Softworks, For the Code).
This compilation is a loving enhancement of raven software’s original games that’s been carefully brough to modern hardware through the efforts of the remaster experts at niphtdi studios, whom stand Once Again AlongSide Developer ID Software.
There are even new expansions to play (crafted in tandem by nightdive and Id software) AlongSide Both Classic Titles.
Playing Through these games and see the love poured into them have me reflecting a bit on how fruitful this partnership has been over the last few years, as well as well as well could be next.
NightDive is a master of revising older games
For the Unfamiliar, NightDive Studios is a Team that Specializes in Porting older games to modern hardware, going out of its way to hunt down the rights to titles long along Revisit.
The Studio’s Ongoing Work With Bethesda and ID Software Began Back in 2020 With the Surprising Announcement of a modern port for doom 64. Launching Remasters of Quake, Quake 2, and Doom + Doom 2 in 2021, 2023, and 2024, Respectively.
These ports are some of the most definitive remasters available, with a wide range of options and improvements like improved animations, entrely new campaigns, 120 FPS Support on Xbox Series x | S and PC, and Much More. NightDive’s Work has been fantastic everything always, but for me, it’s these collaborative remasters that have set an Industry Standard.
It’s honestly been a fun tradition to look forward to, with my friends I frequently spently speculating about whats out be next on the dogt.
At just just $ 15 (as well as being available in Xbox game pass), heretyic + hexen continue that trend of fantastic remasters, and I highly recommended checking them out
This Year’s Remaster also takes the after the aforesed collaborative step a bit further, adding in games from raven software, a studio that now sits under activation.
For a long time, this kind of remaster might’ve been impossible, as the publishing rights to heretyic and hexen was help by id software’s parent company, zenimax media, zenimax means Fell under activation. With both activation and zenimax now owned by microsoft, the rights to a handful of games are no longer divided.
It’s that aspect that has me wondering whats out.
What’s Next For NightDive and Xbox?
While i’ve thoroughly appreciated the consistent flow of remasters that nightdive has provided by working with the teams at bethesda, id software, Machinegames, Machinegames, and Now Raven SoftWare Esses Well, I’m curious as to just whats out be next.
These Systematic Remasters have serially thinned the list of remaining “obvious” games from that time period that can be broughdt forward into the modern era. There are a handful of games left (Hexen 2 Feels Fairly Obvious at this point), but the list is geting thin.
To that end, perhaps nightdive unive start doing even more ambyous work on newer games that graced the end of the original xbox or even the Xbox 360? The Studio’s Leadership has previous noted that the team is interested in working on Xbox 360-Re Titles,
With reports of a wolfenstein tv series in early production and machinegames seemingly focused on Indiana jones, raven software’s 2009 wolfenstein game sems the perfect target for night Skills.
Expanding further into the activities catalogue, the underrated singularity is another raven software game
Even id software’s doom 3 could use a revisit. I’m Aware of the Bfg Edition that’s available on all platforms, but for the grumpy purists loved The Dark Lighting and Conscious choice of using a flashlight, the bfg edition feels a bit too watered down.
You can go through the Trouble of Getting Doom 3 Working Beautifully on a modern pc (I did so just recently), but this type of gaming history deserves a more dedicated effort.
These are just a few examples, but I’m Ultimately just hopable we’ll See more of NightDive’s Work Across the activation and bethesda libraries, Whatever Form It Ends Up Taking.
Hereotic + Hexen (And NightDive’s Other Remasted ID Software Titles) Are available on Xbox Seriesx | Switch.