'BioShock' developer Irrational Games is calling it quits

[Shawn Knight]

Irrational Games, the studio responsible for the hit franchise BioShock, is “winding down” after 17 years in the business. The team has one last BioShock Infinite DLC in the works scheduled for March 25 but after that, it’s game over for the studio.

In a statement on the matter, co-founder Ken Levine said he was deeply proud of what his team has accomplished together but his passion has turned to making a different kind of game. To meet the challenge ahead, Levine said he needs to focus his energy on a smaller team with a flatter structure and a more direct relationship with gamers.

As such, he will soon be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two. This means Levine will be parting ways with all but about 15 members of the Irrational Games team. Laying off people is always hard, he noted, and the first concern is to make sure those who are leaving have as much support as possible.

Moving forward, Levine said he is handing over the reins of BioShock to 2K for further development. That will give him and his team plenty of time to focus on their new goal: creating narrative-driven games for the core gamer that are highly replayable. These titles will focus exclusively on content delivered digitally, we’re told.

Levine concluded by saying that if they are lucky, they’ll build something half as memorable as BioShock.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/55722-bioshock-developer-irrational-games-is-calling-it-quits.html

 

[GhostRyder]

That's disappointing to hear but I guess they must make the decision they see best. I don't understand why this would be a good choice to move from such a hot game and big company but im guessing they have something cool planned in the future to make a move as drastic as this.

 

[m4a4]

I guess just because you're successful, doesn't mean you enjoy what you're doing.

Oh well, maybe he'll enjoy his venture and make some great games too...

 

[Guest]

Considering what utter nonsense was his writing in Bioshock Infinite, I wish him luck, but wonder who laid off who.

 

[TomSEA]

Very unfortunate. The Bioshock series were the most original and entertaining stories we've had in gaming in quite a while.

 

[Ranger12]

On the bright side, it's wonderful that he won't be milking the Bioshock series for all the money it's worth. Too many great series get run into the ground because people want to get every last penny out of them.

 

[GeforcerFX]

On the bright side, it's wonderful that he won't be milking the Bioshock series for all the money it's worth. Too many great series get run into the ground because people want to get every last penny out of them.

He left the Bioshock name in the hands of the publisher, so the franchise can still be milked but 2k happens to be a half way decent publisher so they might just realize the franchise has come to a nice conclusion and move forward but who knows.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

It's a pity. I really enjoyed the Bioshock games, in fact Infinite was the last game I bought and the one I enjoyed the most. There hasn't been much in the way of decent games for a while now for me at least.

 

[TS-56336]

For me this is definitely one of the worst news that has reached us this year yet. Admittedly I am deeply in love with the BioShock series, which is why I am kind of scared about the "digital" future of the new founded ex-Irrational team.