Irrational Games shuts down. Ken Levine want something new

[AlexGoesHigh]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/18/5422846/bioshock-studio-irrational-games-closing

 

 

The studio behind the Bioshock series is going away. "I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it," studio head Ken Levine says. According to Levine, this will involving parting ways with "all but about 15 members of the Irrational team" following the completion of the last bit of downloadable content for Bioshock Infinite. But while the 17-year-old company is shutting down, Levine himself isn't parting ways with the Irrational's publisher. "I'll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavour at Take-Two," he says. The new venture will focus on replayable narrative-driven games that will only be released digitally.

 

"IF WE'RE LUCKY, WE'LL BUILD SOMETHING HALF AS MEMORABLE AS BIOSHOCK."

 

"Initially, I thought the only way to build this venture was with a classical startup model, a risk I was prepared to take," says Levine. "But when I talked to Take-Two about the idea, they convinced me that there was no better place to pursue this new chapter than within their walls. After all, they're the ones who believed in and supported Bioshock in the first place." As for those losing their jobs, Levine says they will have a lengthy grace period, and that Take-Two will be holding a recruiting day so that the publisher's studios, as well as other third party studios, can hire former Irrational staff.

 

With Levine focused on new properties, the future of the Bioshock series will be handled by Take-Two. While Irrational developed the original Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, Bioshock 2 development duties were handled by 2K Marin, one of the company's many internal studios. "If we're lucky, we'll build something half as memorable as Bioshock," says Levine.

 

okay first thing is that ken wants to start from zero again and for that he decided to shut down irrational, unlike most cases not because the studio was bleeding money from its publisher, the worst part being is that we will never have a game that going to be as good as infinite,( if 2k keeps doing bioshock games) and lastly they are trying to find new jobs for the son to be unemployed irrational staff

 

to me seems like a stupidly crazy idea, i kinda understand why he wants something different but killing his studio seems to be a very overkill way to do it  

[flibberdipper]

I refuse to accept this as real.

[jameshumphries47]

^^

[nicholaswillems]

 the worst part being is that we will never have a game that going to be as good as infinite,( if 2k keeps doing bioshock games) and lastly they are trying to find new jobs for the son to be unemployed irrational staff

 

 

 

Do you think they'll continue Bioshock? I find it quite nice to have 3 titles and end it.

[AlexGoesHigh]

I refuse to accept this as real.

IKR but this came directly from their site

[AlexGoesHigh]

Do you think they'll continue Bioshock? I find it quite nice to have 3 titles and end it.

me too, to avoid milking the franchise but if 2k keep doing it, it never going to be as good or memorable as infinite was

[Osmium]

Wow... this is kind of sad actually. But in a way it might prevent 2K from becoming an EA. They were on the fast track to their status up until now.

[Scionyde]

Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but if Ken Levine wanted to start a "smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor", couldn't he have chosen to leave Irrational to start a new group, rather than just fire everybody except for a skeleton crew? That way he could leave a studio intact that was working perfectly well.  (I guess I just feel kinda bad for all those people who lost their jobs on what feels like a capricious whim...)

[Xorbot]

to me seems like a stupidly crazy idea

 

You might even call it irrational...

[Guest Gazzer96]

Well, that's was unexpected

[brownninja97]

HOLY SHIT, this is crazy, im really surprised.

[flibberdipper]

You might even call it irrational...

HA! I see what you did there... Sneaky bastard.

[Misanthrope]

Comes with the times: They probably realize today it makes more sense to downsize and go indie than to deal with AAA development and those lovable, consumer conscious, avant garde publishers like EA

[AlexGoesHigh]

Comes with the times: They probably realize today it makes more sense to downsize and go indie than to deal with AAA development and those lovable, consumer conscious, avant garde publishers like EA

ken its still working whit 2k in fact he says is going to work whit them even closer

[TheProfosist]

To all of you commenting on Infinite being so great, have you played the original? In my opinion and many others that I have seen its just hands down a better game. I have now played it 3 times since it came out twice right away on release on the 360, then a year or so after release on PC after the kinks had been worked out, and the I replayed it when I got it free in the preorder on steam for infinite. It still holds up and you can really see what they did in Infinite to make it appeal more toward the mainstream audience.

 

Do you think they'll continue Bioshock? I find it quite nice to have 3 titles and end it.

Its was only two truly. Irrational had no hand in Bioshock 2. Kevin refused to do a sequel (which the correct choice in my opinion) and was later glad he had no hand in it.

[papajo]

I dont like were the gaming industry is heading... seems to me that in a few years games will be like pop corn a quick run for the buck just to target the tablet/phone/console market..... just play free crapy games that will charge you with small fees for perks and BS...

[TheProfosist]

I dont like were the gaming industry is heading... seems to me that in a few years games will be like pop corn a quick run for the buck just to target the tablet/phone/console market..... just play free crapy games that will charge you with small fees for perks and BS...

"games will be like pop corn" That is basically how the industry is at the moment because if the internet community one week its this game next week its that one. This is why there is so much DLC because if it didnt exist likely withing a month of the game launching no one would be playing it or talking about. I mean they have so have something to drives sales of the game some how. The really sad thing is that consumers created this trend.

[nicholaswillems]

Its was only two truly. Irrational had no hand in Bioshock 2. Kevin refused to do a sequel (which the correct choice in my opinion) and was later glad he had no hand in it.

 

Ah well I've only played Infinite so far, would it be worth to buy Bioshock 1 and 2 when they are on sale/cheaper or should I only get the first?

[TheProfosist]

Ah well I've only played Infinite so far, would it be worth to buy Bioshock 1 and 2 when they are on sale/cheaper or should I only get the first?

Id say only worth getting the first but many times you see 1 and two bundled together for not much more. If thats the case why not get 2 also. I think the Bioshock stuff had good deals during the steam winter sale.

[ZetZet]

Wat.

[Nineshadow]

To all of you commenting on Infinite being so great, have you played the original? In my opinion and many others that I have seen its just hands down a better game. I have now played it 3 times since it came out twice right away on release on the 360, then a year or so after release on PC after the kinks had been worked out, and the I replayed it when I got it free in the preorder on steam for infinite. It still holds up and you can really see what they did in Infinite to make it appeal more toward the mainstream audience.

Its was only two truly. Irrational had no hand in Bioshock 2. Kevin refused to do a sequel (which the correct choice in my opinion) and was later glad he had no hand in it.

Yeah,I loved the first Bioshock,it's still my favourite.I didn't like the second one as much though,it was pretty boring,and Infinite is...Infinite.

[Misanthrope]

To all of you commenting on Infinite being so great, have you played the original? In my opinion and many others that I have seen its just hands down a better game. I have now played it 3 times since it came out twice right away on release on the 360, then a year or so after release on PC after the kinks had been worked out, and the I replayed it when I got it free in the preorder on steam for infinite. It still holds up and you can really see what they did in Infinite to make it appeal more toward the mainstream audience.

 

Not far back enough: for bonus points you should have mentioned System Shock instead.

[TopWargamer]

So basically he shut down the studio just cause. He still could have done his little project while keeping Irrational Games around. This studio shut down makes no sense.

[ACatWithThumbs]

This ruins my day :'(

Let's hope something good will come out of it.
 

[TheProfosist]

Not far back enough: for bonus points you should have mentioned System Shock instead.

I have Systems Shock 2 and have played it. It is very good but I think Bioshock is more refined in certain aspects. but if you insist on going back that far infinite is ever farther from what it started out as.

So basically he shut down the studio just cause. He still could have done his little project while keeping Irrational Games around. This studio shut down makes no sense.

Well System Shock 2, Bioshock, and Bioshock Infinite are their defining games. Possibly he didnt think the studio could put together something that was better withing the same genre. Also if the game he wanted to work on next was something completely different having irrational do it would be marketing confusion. That is my only guess.