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Bioshock 2 dev posts job listing for experienced Wii and PS3 designers
According to a job posting over at Gamasutra, 2K Marin (the new Irrational Games) is looking for those experienced in the ways of Wii and PS3 design. Now, we've all seen these job postings never pan out into what we hoped they would before (confirmation that the game in question will release on the platforms in question), but sometimes these things pan out.Rumor had it that the first Bioshock game was going to be ported over to the Wii, but the likelihood of that happening now is between none and, well ... none. But, could 2K Marin be developing the game with the Wii in mind from the get-go? It is a possibility. We hear 2K likes money. And putting your game on Wii gives you more of a chance to get precious money. We'll just have to wait and see.[Via GamePro]
2K Marin job listing states that "PS3 experience is required"
This one is a bit confusing. We know 2K Marin are working on Bioshock 2 which, we assumed, would be a 360 exclusive like its big daddy brother. The cognitive water begins to get muddy, however, when we look at 2K Marin's job listings. While the jobs aren't necessarily for Bioshock 2, the game isn't due out until next year and we would be surprised if Marin are working on two titles simultaneously -- especially when Bioshock 2 is such a high-profile game.The listing for a role as Level Designer states that "PlayStation 3 experience is required," while others don't mention specific platforms. 2K Boston was looking for PS3 programmers back before 2K Marin was formed. For all we know they might've snuck over to Marin to stay with the Bioshock license. Could this mean we could be seeing Bioshock 2 hit the PS3? It's a solid theory, given the evidence, but is far from proven. We played this "will it, won't it" game with Bioshock 1 last year, so until we hear confirmation we're letting the rumor lay out there for you guys to discuss. [Via GameGuru]
Bioshock 2: "Rube Goldberg machines of death"
Next Generation was able to catch up with 2K Marin Creative Director, Jordan Thomas, after a presentation on emergent gameplay he delivered at University of Teesside's Animex festival. Next Gen's interview is in the main concerned with gameplay theory, but towards the end shifts focus to Bioshock 2. As his presentation and interview had to do with emergent gameplay, Next Gen assumes that this will be a larger focus in Bioshock 2. Thomas comments that "I really like the idea of the player being able to create dynamic physical attachments – Rube Goldberg machines of death!" which gives us a pretty good idea of the creative direction that the sequel will be taking.Along with that choice quote was another one that was hopefully a bit more of a promise than a hyperbole: "in the future I'll want to generate much more of that – maybe give the player the ability to steal superpowers from characters that are wandering around the world, or alter their behavior in ways that amount to more than just getting them to fight each other. There's a lot of potential real estate there." So long as they make good on that potential, we'll be here to play it.
Ken Levine will be involved with BioShock 2
We briefly mentioned this during our recap of the Take Two earnings call last night, but we wanted to echo the story so BioShock fans can sleep easy. At the tail-end of the Take Two earnings call last night Chairman Strauss Zelnick clarified questions we had regarding the BioShock sequel that was announced during the 2K investors call earlier in the day. When discussing the upcoming sequel Zelnick assured listeners that BioShock series creator Ken Levine, "will be working on BioShock 2."While we hope this means Ken will lend his vision to the 2K Marin team in hopes of creating yet another successful foray into the franchise, who knows if it means Ken will just be in Australia on a LOST landmark bus tour. So readers we ask, how important is Ken Levine's involvement in a sequel to BioShock?[via Joystiq]
BioShock 2 due in fiscal Q4 2009 from 2K Marin
After sales of brainy first-person shooter BioShock were so strong, a sequel seemed like all but a foregone conclusion. 2K Games put any remaining doubt to bed today, revealing that BioShock 2 is due to hit shelves in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2009, which would put it between August and October of 2009. The game is being developed not by Ken Levine's 2K Boston, but rather 2K Marin, which reportedly has some BioShock staffers on board. At this point, we don't know what (if any) involvement Levine will have, nor do we know what systems it will be on.The info came in an investor relations report released by the company today. Even though we figured the game was in the works, we have to admit we're a little surprised by the window, just two years after its predecessor. But you're not going to hear us complaining. If it means more Big Daddies and Little Sisters, we don't really care where we get it.
Take-Two opens 2K Marin, former BioShock devs reportedly on staff
Following last month's rumors which saw former 2K Boston BioShock developers starting a new studio in California, Take-Two has officially announcing the formation of 2K Marin. And that's pretty much all the company had to say. Take-Two fed a standard line that the new studio will focus on creating original intellectual property, but will also help in other established 2K brands.The terse announcement of 2K Marin's formation will be followed up with game announcements early next year according to insiders we've spoken to, most likely on or before GDC in February. Aside from knowing that 2K Marin exists, everything is still hush-hush.
