Since the Unreal engine announcement, the devs are now taking player feedback on whether they should remake Kenshi 1 in Unreal, or continue forward with Kenshi 2:
So far the lion's share of players opted for Kenshi 2.
The reason this is so relevant is because Lofi games' (the devs) original plan was to backport some improvements from Kenshi 2 into Kenshi 1, but now with the differing engines that's basically impossible. So they're giving players a chance to make their voices heard.
Whelp, time to install the original and actually play it. I played the alpha waaaaaay back when as I bought into the Alpha on GamersGate, believe it or not. Just transferred my key and I'm ready to do this!