Summary
Nightdive Studios has released a jam-packed update forThe Thing: Remastered, deploying a host of console improvements and bug fixes that were surely eradicated by R.J. MacReady’s flamethrower. Nightdive is an American developer doing good deeds for gamers by obtaining the rights to abandonware video games and remastering them for modern consoles. Since its 2012 formation, Nightdive’s portfolio includes enhanced versions ofTurok,Doom,Quake, andShadow Man, to name a few, andThe Thing: Remasteredis paving the way for more exciting restorations to come.
Originally released in 2002 on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox by Computer Artworks,The Thingmixed squad-based shooter gameplay with survival horror elements, based on John Carpenter’s iconic 1982 film of the same name. After its December 2024 release,The Thing: Remasteredbecame a huge successand cemented its feat as Nightdive’s fastest-selling launch title in the studio’s history. The premise serves as a sequel to Carpenter’s movie, following Captain Blake, a member of the United States Army Special Forces team, tasked with investigating what happened to the original Antarctic outpost crew after an alien life form wreaked havoc.
Nightdive posted Patch 1.1on July 26, 2025, available to console users, joining the studio’supdatedSystem Shockremake from last year. Key takeaways from the update include fixed crashes that would occur when quitting the game or when fighting Thing beasts, amended display items to correct the depth of field effect, and more importantly, providing Whitley with new trousers. The Steam Deck’s frame rate is no longer locked to half the screen refresh rate while using the Vulkan renderer, and the Nintendo Switch received optimized performance in addition.
Retro gamers agreedThe Thing: Remasteredfixed the most annoying part of the original 2002 game, and the horror community was warmly receptive to the recent update. Additionally, one Twitter user asked Nightdive if there were any plans for a physical release of the remaster, and the studio confirmed more details on that topic would arrive later this year.
Continuing Nightdive’s impressive streak,The Thingfans want to see the studio tackle another cult classic next.Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, the 2005 survival horror by Headfirst Productions, excelled at adapting H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos and became a well-received title by gamers of a darker, grittier persuasion despite being a commercial failure. Nightdive’s mission to resurrect forgotten gems is an admirable, ongoing project backed by the nostalgic, and the gaming community’s wish list for remasters grows in tandem.
