Sneaky: Initially released in 1998, Thief is considered a landmark video game, particularly for the PC gaming industry. The Windows-exclusive title was groundbreaking in many ways and is now set to introduce a whole new generation of players to its pioneering first-person stealth gameplay.

Remake specialists at Nightdive Studios are working on yet another classic PC title. Thief: The Dark Project Remastered is a modern take on the groundbreaking 1998 stealth classic developed by Looking Glass Studios. The remaster is designed to preserve the original experience while updating the visuals for modern players.

Nightdive unveiled the project during the recent PC Gaming Show digital showcase. The studio highlighted the innovative gameplay that made Thief stand out in the late 90s, when most first-person games focused on shooting and direct combat. Instead, Thief challenged players to navigate carefully crafted environments, relying on stealth, timing, and observation rather than brute force to complete missions.

Thief played a pivotal role in popularizing the stealth genre and cast a long shadow over immersive sims and later stealth franchises such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Hitman. It was also the first game to successfully make environmental lighting and sound central gameplay mechanics, using sophisticated AI systems to create dynamic, emergent gameplay.

Like previous Nightdive remasters, Thief: The Dark Project Remastered will use the company's KEX Engine to faithfully recreate the game's stealth gameplay. The remaster will include the original missions, along with the additional content released in the 1999 Thief Gold edition.

According to the game's Steam page, Thief Remastered should not require particularly modern hardware to run. As with System Shock 2 and other restored classics, Nightdive appears to be taking a conservative approach to updating the Looking Glass Studios original.

At the same time, the remaster is expected to include features modern players now take for granted. These include support for 4K resolution and high frame rates (up to 120 FPS), controller support, and improved textures, 3D models, and animations.

While the original Thief was released exclusively on PC, added controller support should also make it more accessible on modern consoles. The series continued with two sequels – Thief II: The Metal Age in 2000 and Thief: Deadly Shadows in 2004 – while Eidos-Montréal attempted a reboot in 2014 with Thief, which received mixed reviews.