Rapture goes Sky High: Irrational Games Unveils Bioshock Infinite

Irrational Games lead designer Ken Levine unveiled his studio’s next project, a follow-up to their 2007 epic Bioshock, to a select group of reporters in New York on Wednesday night.  The studio sent an ambiguous invitation about the event to reporters a week ago, and then teased the announcement with a cryptic website; whatisicarus.com.  Last night, those reporter were shocked to find that Levine’s big secret was not some unimaginable new project, but an unimaginable sequel, Bioshock Infinite.  Those in attendance got to see a trailer, which you can see after the jump, and a guided demo played by Levine.

Lets be clear:  Bioshock Infinite is not “Bioshock 3.  The studio did not play a role in the development of Bioshock 2 – Irrational handed the project over to 2K Marin – so for them this is a follow-up to the original, circumventing the sequel, for better or worse.  In fact, the game is not a sequel at all.  Infinite takes Bioshock out of Rapture, trading the dark depths of the ocean for the impossible dream of living in the clouds.  Infinite takes place on the mysterious floating city of Columbia and takes place in 1912, years before Rapture was ever built.  That said, Levine was clear to state that, while there are parallels between Bioshock and Infinite, their stories will not be connected.

Expect to hear more about Bioshock Infinite in the future, but don’t hold your breath waiting to play it.  Irrational has guaranteed that the game won’t be ready until some time in 2012.

(Via Kotaku)

About the Author

Mike Epstein