Irrational Games Has Closed (Pretty Much)
Irrational Games, the makers of BioShock is, for all and intents and purposes, done with. Ken Levine announced a few days back that he will be laying off all but fifteen of his employees.
This is a huge blow to the gaming community. I remember, vaguley, hearing about Black Isle, the creators of Baldur’s Gate, closing down when I was a kid. I remember feeling somewhat upset, because I had wanted more games like that. But it was way in the back of my mind, I had come along to these late so they were already old to me. I assumed there wouldn’t be more.
This is different. I may not have been there for System Shock, but I followed BioShock from announcement to release. I went by Wal-Mart on my way home from work (at five in the morning) to buy it then spent four or five hours diving into Rapture. I played the demo three or four times just because I couldn’t get enough. I bought BioShock 2 when it hit the bargain bin, and though the story wasn’t near as rich, the combat was, by far, the best BioShock has turned out. BioShock 3 has a story like no other, with possibly the only escort character I’ve ever seriously, emotionally, cared about.
I hate to see this happen, but I guess I understand as well. Making video games, especially these triple A titles, takes a ridiculous amount of resources. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of man hours, high powered equipment, office space, and millions of dollars to power it. Couple that with the bullshit politics and business practices of the video game publishers (who frankly, make book publishers look like saints) and you have an industry that chews people up and spits them out.
I respect Ken Levine. He is a brilliant creator who has always wanted the best gameplay coupled with the best story. If he’s taking his company in a more entrepreneurial direction, maybe something some of us would refer to as indie, I have to understand that motivation. Maybe we’ll see more of Rapture or Columbia, maybe it’ll just be in a new form.
God only knows.
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