Bioshock Maker Irrational Games To Shut Down

Irrational Games, the 17-year-old development arm behind the successful games Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, will be reshaped into a new team within Take Two Interactive, according to Ken Levine, the company’s creative director and co-founder:

While I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together, my passion has turned to making a different kind of game than we’ve done before. To meet the challenge ahead, I need to refocus my energy on a smaller team with a flatter structure and a more direct relationship with gamers. In many ways, it will be a return to how we started: a small team making games for the core gaming audience.

Levine said Irrational Games will release the final downloadable module for Bioshock Infinite, entitled “Burial At Sea,” but Levine will part ways with all of the roughly 15 members of the Irrational Games team. Those laid off from Irrational Games will have a chance to discuss other opportunities within Take-Two Interactive, and Levine will also help departing Irrational staff get jobs at third-party studios and publishers by hosting a formal “recruiting day.”

To learn more about what will happen to Irrational Games and Levine’s next project, check out Levine’s blog post on Irrational Games’ website.

Lead image by nez on Flickr