After nearly 30 years, the original Thief by Eidos returns in a completely renewed and updated version

At the Xbox Games Showcase, a great classic was showcased nearly 30 years after its original release in a remastered version. After recent efforts dedicated to System Shock and its sequel, Nightdive Studio officially announced Thief: The Dark Project Remastered, a new edition of the iconic stealth title originally released in 1998.

The game brings players back into the shoes of Garrett, the famous thief and protagonist of the series, within the dark setting known as The City. At its release, Thief distinguished itself with a radically different approach compared to the first-person shooters that dominated the market, thanks to mechanics based on stealth and environmental interaction rather than direct combat.

The new remaster embraces the entire original experience and also includes all content present in Thief Gold, an edition published in 1999 that added missions, enemies, and parts of the narrative. Nightdive has updated numerous technical elements, including improved textures, revised 3D models, and updated animations, along with some corrections made to the original level design.

Particular attention has also been dedicated to the modernization of the gameplay experience. Among the new features is a quick wheel for weapons and items, designed to make tool selection during missions more immediate.

According to Nightdive, Thief was the first stealth game to use light and sound as central mechanics, allowing players to hide in the dark, avoid guards, and use noise to deceive enemies. The levels maintain their open and labyrinthine structure, while NPCs continue to react dynamically to player actions, being capable of hearing suspicious noises, communicating with each other, and activating alarms.

The new iteration also preserves the three difficulty levels for each mission, each characterized by different objectives that enhance replayability. A handy mission selector debuts, useful for quickly reliving already completed chapters, and native support for custom campaigns, a feature particularly appreciated by longtime players.

On the technical front, Thief: The Dark Project Remastered will offer support for up to 4K and 120 frames per second, along with compatibility with mouse and keyboard and modern controllers. The package is completed with a series of unlockable achievements and a collection of behind-the-scenes materials dedicated to the development of the original title.

Nightdive has not yet announced a specific launch date, but the release is expected during the winter. The game will arrive on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.