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Bioshock Creator Was Shocked by Irrational Games Closure

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Summary

  • Ken Levine reflects on Irrational Games’ closure post-BioShock Infinite’s success, a decision he deemed “complicated.”
  • “I thought they were going to continue. But it wasn’t my company,” Levine stated, confirming that the studio’s shutter came as a shock to most involved.
  • BioShock 4 anticipation builds, set possibly in an open world, with fans eyeing lessons learned from BioShock Infinite’s release.

BioShock Infinite director Ken Levine has opened up about the past closure of Irrational Games under Take-Two Interactive and provided a retrospective retelling of the studio’s termination that came as a shock to most. Ken Levine was the creative director and co-founder of Irrational Games, alongside former Looking Glass Studios employees Jonathan Chey and Robert Fermier, and he led the creation of the popular BioShock series, including the original 2007 entry, 2013’s BioShock Infinite, and the subsequent BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea.

Levine announced in 2014 that Irrational Games would be closing, following the release of BioShock Infinite, and the studio was later rebranded as Ghost Story Games in 2017 while still operating as a Take-Two subsidiary. Sadly, the video games industry has endured a harrowing few years due to mass lay-offs, including Riot Games’ downsizing of its League of Legends team and Ubisoft’s lay-offs across its US offices last year, to name but a few.

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In a recent interview with Edge Magazine (via PC Gamer), Levine addressed the closure of Irrational and described the decision as “complicated.” The director opened up about his private struggles during the development of Infinite, which inevitably led to Levine’s desired departure from Irrational, but he wanted the studio to continue despite his absence. “I thought they were going to continue. But it wasn’t my company.” Levine stated, confirming that the studio’s shutter came as a shock to most involved. Irrational Games was best known for System Shock 2’s contribution to the best horror RPG genre, alongside its fame with BioShock Infinite, but the unforeseen pressures in Levine’s personal affairs during Infinite’s development caused him to step down. “I don’t think I was in any state to be a good leader,” Levine explained.

BioShock Infinite’s Ken Levine Explains Why Irrational Games’ Closure Came as a Shock

BioShock Infinite may be one of the most depressing and sad games, but its flavor made an impact on gamers. On the back of its success, Levine thought, in retrospect, that Take-Two could have allowed Irrational to work on the BioShock remake, saying “That would have been a good title for Irrational to get their head around.” Carrying so much respect for the Irrational team, Levine tried to orchestrate “the least painful layoff we could possibly do,” where transition packages and continued support were offered despite the unfortunate circumstance.

Fans of the steampunk series have something prominent to look forward to in the future thanks to the announcement of the next main entry, and many believe BioShock 4 can learn from BioShock Infinite’s discourse. Even though BioShock 4 was announced five years ago, an official release date is yet to be determined while Cloud Chamber continues deep in development. Fans speculate the upcoming game could be set in an open world while the new installment retains the first-person perspective of its predecessors.


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