BioShock Infinite director Ken Levine recounted Irrational Games’ termination by Take-Two Interactive, which surprised many. Ken Levine, former Looking Glass Studios employees Jonathan Chey and Robert Fermier, co-founded Irrational Games and created the BioShock series, including 2007’s BioShock, 2013’s BioShock Infinite, and BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea.
After BioShock Infinite, Levine announced that Irrational Games would close in 2014. In 2017 the firm was relaunched as Ghost Story Games while retaining a Take-Two subsidiary. Unfortunately, large layoffs like Riot Games’ downsizing of its League of Legends team and Ubisoft’s US office layoffs last year have plagued the video games industry.
Levine told Edge Magazine (via PC Gamer) that Irrational’s closure was “complicated.” The director revealed his troubles throughout Infinite’s creation, leading to Levine’s desired exit from Irrational. He wanted the studio to continue during his absence. “I thought they would continue. It wasn’t my firm.” Levine said most were surprised by the studio’s closure. Irrational Games was best known for System Shock 2 and BioShock Infinite, although Levine resigned due to personal issues during Infinite’s development. “I don’t think I was in any state to be a good leader,” Levine said.
Ken Levine of BioShock Infinite Explains Why Irrational Games Closed Shockingly
Although BioShock Infinite is one of the saddest games, its taste affected gamers. After its success, Levine thinks Take-Two could have let Irrational work on the BioShock remake, saying, “That would have been a good title for Irrational to get their head around.” Levine endeavored to arrange “the least painful lay-off we could possibly do,” offering transition packages and continuous assistance to the Irrational staff.
The introduction of the next main installment gives steampunk fans something to look forward to, and many believe BioShock 4 can benefit from BioShock Infinite. While 2K and Cloud Chamber Studios produce BioShock 4, a release date has not been set five years after its announcement. According to fans, the new game may be situated in an open environment yet keep the first-person perspective.