A remastered version of 2005's forgotten horror classic could be on the way, and I'm ready to be terrified all over again

2005 was a great year for third-person survival horror game fans. After all, it brought with it the best Resident Evil game of the lot, Resi 4, which has only since been matched by its phenomenal 2023 remake. Capcom's big hitter wasn't alone, though, as developer Darkworks had also been whittling away at its own vision for the genre, Cold Fear. Now, 17 years after its arrival on Steam, Cold Fear has been delisted, prompting speculation that current rights owner Atari may soon reveal a remastered version of one of the era's most atmospherically haunting experiences.

Cold Fear is one of those almost-great games that ultimately squandered its potential. Throwing away the setting conventions of the time, Darkworks said 'forget your spooky buildings, let's plonk you down on a ship in the middle of a stormy ocean.' The crashing of waves and rocking of the whaler blew my mind as a kid, trumping what Valdelobos had to offer; I'll never forget the moment I first saw the Exocels crawl out of a decapitated orca. Unfortunately, Cold Fear lacked the narrative consistency and gameplay chops to match its impeccable vibe, and only managed to ship (not sorry) 70,000 copies within its first year.

In the decades since, Cold Fear, like many other underpolished gems, has developed a bit of a cult following. Atari clearly saw the potential when it acquired the IP from Ubisoft last year. At the time, Atari CEO Wade Rosen promised to not only "re-release" Cold Fear, alongside I Am Alive, Child of Eden, Grow Home, and Grow Up, but "expand and evolve these franchises."

Now, it looks like Atari is making moves, as Cold Fear was removed from Steam last week. Whether or not this is a simple republishing formality (Ubisoft has hitherto been listed as its publisher on the store page), or the signs of some upcoming remaster remains to be seen. Considering Atari also owns remaster maestro Nightdive Studios, the team behind the recent classic Doom refreshes, alongside 2023's rather excellent System Shock remake, I wouldn't be surprised to see it work its magic on Cold Fear.

Honestly, considering the depths Nightdive has plumbed with some of its other remasters, we could theoretically be in for some much-needed fixes and additions that would really help Cold Fear out. Chiefly, I'd love to see a map added (the whaler is a bit of a maze, and I have zero directional sense at the best of times), alongside a rework of its maddening save system. These quality of life improvements would drastically smooth out the experience, removing Cold Fear's biggest points of frustration. While I'm just spitballing based on what-iffery here, I really do hope to see this old underdog learn a few new tricks in the event a remaster is on the way.