OtherSide Entertainment
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Paul Neurath |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Paul Neurath (Founder), Warren Spector (Studio Director, Austin branch) |
| Products | Underworld Ascendant, Underworld Overlord, Argos: Riders on the Storm (in development) |
| Owner | Aonic |
OtherSide Entertainment, Inc. is a video game development company located in Boston, Massachusetts, established in 2013 by Paul Neurath, co-founder of Looking Glass Studios. In June 2016, the firm expanded by launching a second branch in Austin, Texas, with Warren Spector at the helm. The studio created Underworld Ascendant (2018), serving as a spiritual continuation of Looking Glass's Ultima Underworld franchise, and is currently working on original intellectual properties. OtherSide was later acquired by Aonic.
History
Prior to founding OtherSide, Paul Neurath was a video game designer at Origin Systems and originally founded Blue Sky Productions—later renamed Looking Glass Studios—in 1990. Looking Glass was responsible for groundbreaking titles such as System Shock, System Shock 2, the Ultima Underworld series, and the Thief series. Neurath acted as lead designer on Ultima Underworld. Following the closure of Looking Glass in 2000 and Zynga’s Boston office shutdown in 2012, Neurath established OtherSide (initially called Cerulean Sky Productions) in 2013 with the goal of bringing the Underworld series back to modern gaming platforms. The team includes former Looking Glass alumni like Nate Wells and Tim Stellmach. The company’s name, "OtherSide," is an homage to "Looking Glass."
In February 2016, industry veteran Warren Spector joined OtherSide as studio director, taking charge of the Austin location that opened later that year. Spector had been advising the company since its early days.
During Hasbro's Investor Event in February 2021, a long-term partnership with OtherSide was revealed. By March 2022, Spector confirmed that OtherSide was developing a Dungeons & Dragons title in collaboration with Hasbro’s subsidiary Wizards of the Coast. However, after Wizards of the Coast canceled several projects in January 2023, OtherSide underwent a minor workforce reduction amid broader restructuring affecting independent studios partnered with Wizards.
Games
OtherSide was created primarily to develop a follow-up to Ultima Underworld, which became Underworld Ascendant. Paul Neurath’s vision focused on revitalizing the Underworld franchise and updating it for contemporary audiences.
In December 2015, OtherSide announced its involvement in developing System Shock 3, with Starbreeze Studios set as publisher. After obtaining rights from franchise owner Nightdive Studios, OtherSide planned to create this sequel and potentially additional titles. However, due to financial difficulties, Starbreeze sold back distribution rights to Nightdive and withdrew funding in February 2019.
By May 2020, rights for future System Shock projects were acquired by Tencent, though Warren Spector confirmed that OtherSide would continue collaborating alongside Tencent. In March 2022, Spector disclosed that OtherSide had ceased development on System Shock 3, leaving its future uncertain. The studio also announced work on an original property named Argos: Riders on the Storm.
In January 2023, reports emerged that a Dungeons & Dragons game developed by OtherSide had been canceled.
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Underworld Overlord | Android | OtherSide Entertainment |
| 2018 | Underworld Ascendant | Linux, macOS, Windows | 505 Games |
| Template:TBA | Argos: Riders on the Storm | Template:TBA | Template:TBA |
| Template:TBA | Thick as Thieves | Template:TBA | Template:TBA |