Bioshock 2 Dev Taking Franchise Over from Irrational When Boston...



Bioshock 2 Dev Taking Franchise Over from Irrational

When Boston based development house Irrational Games announced they were closing their doors for good, many assumed the franchise they created, Bioshock – a critical darling and fan favorite – would sink into the sea with it.

Irrational’s owner, publisher 2K, assured the gaming populace Bioshock would live on; somehow, some way. Bioshock, after all, makes money, and you don’t just let something that makes money slip to the bottom of the sea (or fall to the top of the sky…?).

Take-Two CEO/Best Name for the Next Bond Villain, Strauss Zelnick, believes the series has yet to reach its commercial potential. Of course, the writing on the dry-erase board says no more than “Make more Bioshock eventually.”

We haven’t given any color on how you should think about it yet except we do believe it’s beloved,” Zelnick said to Gamespot.  "We think it’s important [and] certainly something that we’re focused on; something 2K Marin will be responsible for shepherding going forward.“

2K Marin, a team forged in 2007 from former members of Irrational, brought us Bioshock 2 – a title that hemmed so closely to the original that it might as well have been called an expansion (to toss some fairness into the mix, the game did have an excellent story; it’s not all choppy waters). Last year, 2K Marin released The Bureau, an XCOM spin-off met with mixed reviews and a wall of indifference from fans used to the strategy-heavy formula the series is known for.

All right, so we’re not exactly passing Bioshock into steady hands. But keep in mind, it took Treyarch a few goes at the Call of Duty formula before they started to wind Infinity Ward’s bi-yearly releases. Thankfully, 2013’s Bioshock Infinite is fresh enough in our minds where there’s no rush to deliver a follow-up. Take your time getting it right, 2K. Kind of a delicate IP you got there.


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