Irrational Games, the powerhouse studio behind such franchises as System Shock and Bioshock, has announced that they will be shutting down. Permanently. If you head over to their website, you’ll find a letter written up by Ken Levine, from him, to us, the gamers. In it, he stated that “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.” After seventeen years of working as a studio, the core members seem to have made the decision that it’s time to return to their roots.
Luckily, none of the members of Irrational will be completely off of the scene. Employees outside of the core members are being given access to jobs within other portions of Take Two Interactive. So all of these talented men and women will still be doing great work in the gaming industry, just not under the banner of Irrational Games.
“But what about Ken Levine?,” I’m sure you’re all wondering. Well, if you haven’t already read his letter, I’ll paraphrase what he said: He’s still making games. He’ll still be building narrative driven games, but under a new studio, which he promises will be announced “soon.” He’s also said that the Bioshock franchise will be handed over entirely to Take Two Interactive, to do with as they please, as Levine and a small group of developers march forward to create something they hope will be “as memorable as Bioshock.”
So, what are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments below!
