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Levine to wind down Irrational Games

Bioshock passes to 2K, new company focussed on narrative and digital.

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Ken Levine has just made an announcement that is sending shockwaves through the industry; he's winding down Irrational Games after seventeen years in the business so he can refocus his energies on development with a smaller team.

In a message posted on Irrational Games website, Levine explained his motivations behind the move, and what the decision meant for him personally, and the studio he founded.

"I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it. I'll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two. That is going to mean parting ways with all but about fifteen members of the Irrational team. There's no great way to lay people off, and our first concern is to make sure that the people who are leaving have as much support as we can give them during this transition," he explained, also revealing that many would find homes within 2K, and that they'd be talking to 3rd party studios interested in hiring Irrational staffers.

Bioshock Infinite

"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 revealed that it's his intention to deliver more "narrative-driven games for the core gamer that are highly replayable" and to "foster the most direct relationship with our fans possible, we will focus exclusively on content delivered digitally."

While it's obviously a significant move, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of the Bioshock series that Levine's studio created. "I'm handing the reins of our creation, the BioShock universe, to 2K so our new venture can focus entirely on replayable narrative. If we're lucky, we'll build something half as memorable as BioShock."

Recently it was hinted at that the next piece of Bioshock Infinite DLC would end the story arc of the main series, and with this news it's easy to see why Levine and his studio were/are keen to draw a line under their most famous creation. The last chapter of the story, Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode 2, is set to launch on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 25.

Bioshock Infinite

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