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Home Bioshock updates

BioShock 2 officially announced for 2009

3:51 PM on 03.11.2008, Jim Sterling 85 comments

BioShock 2 officially announced for 2009 photo
     Bioshock

We all knew it was coming (though many of us lamented it), but today Take-Two has officially announced that work on a BioShock sequel is underway. It is currently planned for release in Q4 of 2009.

Nothing has been announced as far as plotline goes, although many people are expecting a prequel that shows the downfall of Rapture. Furthermore, no specific platform has been specified as of yet, so we don't know if BioShock will remain a PC/Xbox 360 exclusive or if the PS3 will get a piece of the action this time around.

So there you have it. BioShock is now officially a franchise, with a little pink ribbon and everything. Still don't know how I feel about this, because I'm definitely in the camp that felt Rapture's back story was already perfectly presented, and that nothing was needed to further conclude its existence either. Strange how normally, news of a sequel makes fans of a game happy, yet this time around there's a lot of concern.

That means you have something very special and very delicate in your hands, Take-Two. Don't screw it up. 

[Thanks, Trevor Green]


Next page: More Take-Two stories




Tull's Avatar
Tull at 03/11/2008 15:52
Really not that surprising to see this announcement. Any game nowadays which hits it big is bound to get sequelitis. The question now is whether Ken Levine and 2K Boston will be doing it or the new 2K Marin people who were mostly involved in BioShock's development.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 03/11/2008 15:52
DO NOT WANT

Why cant they leave it be? WHY PENIS WHY
kawitchate's Avatar
kawitchate at 03/11/2008 15:52
hmm, not sure what to think about this.

on the one hand, i feel they should have let it be, but on the other hand, they're taking a whole 2 years to do a sequel when they could have just pumped one out by this holiday... so we'll see. i'm cautiously optimistic at this point.
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 03/11/2008 15:54
:[
CaptainApocalypse's Avatar
CaptainApocalypse at 03/11/2008 15:55
I wonder who they'll use as a viewpoint in this one. Maybe you'll be one of Ryan's aides/assistants or someone involved in trying to wrest control away from him. Lots of possibilities for greatness. Also, lots of possibilities for EPIC FAIL. We can only hope for the first one at this point.
wardrox's Avatar
wardrox at 03/11/2008 15:56
I came
big filth's Avatar
big filth at 03/11/2008 15:59
crying about this is retarded. No disrespect to Jim cause a) youre my hero and b) I see where youre coming from to a certain extent, but acting like this is a bad thing right off the bat is crazy.

Chances are even a Bioshock sequel thats not "as good" as the first will still be better than most of the crap out there and 2, if the same people do the game, we should give them the benefit of the doubt and assume, more aweomeness is in store.

I think this is great news and would love to be able to get deeper into the world, (and I found all the diaries).

I hope it will be amazing, and am optimistic it will be. :)
Corak's Avatar
Corak at 03/11/2008 16:00
I agree that they need to take great care in order to do this right. Here's hoping they do.
big filth's Avatar
big filth at 03/11/2008 16:00
also, my avatar fails.
wardrox's Avatar
wardrox at 03/11/2008 16:02
Why would anybody complain? Seriously?

Would you agree that BioShock was one of the most well written games of all time? Does it not stand to reason BioShock 2 would, I don't know, also be an incredibly well written game? Hmm? Maybe? Hmm?

Stop trying to hate on shit for the sake of it. At least give it a chance. Stay positive!
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 03/11/2008 16:02
I say that, if it's not a totally different society, different characters, different underlying political theme, then it's going to suck the balls of the world.
big filth's Avatar
big filth at 03/11/2008 16:02
AMEN to Wardox!! AMEN!!
galagabug 's Avatar
galagabug at 03/11/2008 16:03
who can name a game that did well commercially in this gen or the last that didn't get the sequel treatment?
Y0j1mb0's Avatar
Y0j1mb0 at 03/11/2008 16:05
big filth:

Just what the hell is your avatar? A love letter to a frog?
SLiFE's Avatar
SLiFE at 03/11/2008 16:05
I'm hoping for the best but planning for the worst.

What's 2K Marins development record anyways?
yaisuah's Avatar
yaisuah at 03/11/2008 16:07
Really anyone that says: "what more could they do with a sequel?" just has no imagination. Does anyone really believe none of the scientists or anyone else could have left Rapture before everything went to hell? Think about what the rest of the world would be like in a few years if all that technology and plasmids and CLONING technology were let loose. The sequel actually has the potential to be epic of kong cock proportions.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 03/11/2008 16:08
ARGH

Why can't you release one, single game and let it stand on its own without exploring the universe to death (ahem, Final Fantasy VII and Star Wars).
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 03/11/2008 16:09
Finally they'll get rid of all that pointless story junk that bogged down the action of thee first one. Maybe in this one the Big Daddies can be even bigger and the Little Sisters can be older, hotter, and topless.
Eschatos's Avatar
Eschatos at 03/11/2008 16:12
I don't think it's a good thing that I have no happiness at all for this.
n1c2c8's Avatar
n1c2c8 at 03/11/2008 16:12
@ SLiFE

2k Marin's last game was...Bioshock.

They are the newly formed studio once 2k Boston and 2k Australia (formerly Irrational games) or whatever were combined.
galagabug 's Avatar
galagabug at 03/11/2008 16:13
@maxVest - i represent 2k australia and i'm willing to hire you sight unseen. you sir, are a GENIUS!
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 03/11/2008 16:17
big filth: I'm not crying about it, nor did I say it's a bad thing. I am undecided.

I do, however, maintain that it is unnecessary. Also, if it does turn out to be a prequel, it will have totally missed the entire point of the first game, and I shudder to think what it'd be like in such clumsy hands.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 03/11/2008 16:17
Ho hum.

Has it been confirmed that Ken Levine won't be working on this one?
BigPopaGamer's Avatar
BigPopaGamer at 03/11/2008 16:18
I hope they do a good job with it, but I feel that the first one did everything you could with that story and world. Sometimes I just wish game companies would leave some things alone. Bioshock was great, one of the best FPS's I've ever played. And in my experience, when something becomes a franchise and starts releasing games just to release them, the quality goes south.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 03/11/2008 16:18
Also, Wardrox is a chirpy Northern sod who's happy that he's got enough coal to cook his Lancashire hotpot for that night.
Knives's Avatar
Knives at 03/11/2008 16:21
I'll wait for more details to judge. As a sequel I really don't see how it would work, prequel might be interesting, but I think I would prefer the name just being there for the recognition.
lazuli's Avatar
lazuli at 03/11/2008 16:26
im kinda against it but it cant hurt to have a sequel and who knows its could be just as good as the first
DarkTravesty's Avatar
DarkTravesty at 03/11/2008 16:34
when i read this on kotaku i really didn't know what to think and i still don't.. some games only need one and do not need to be franchises.
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 03/11/2008 16:36
@yaisuah

"Uncreative" is a company that is so bad at coming up with fresh ideas that will sell that they've got to sell more than one, maybe two, games on the coattails of a profitable name. There's not much you can harm in having sequels to games like Halo or Super Smash Brothers. There have been a few decent hard-hitting titles to succeed in the sequels department, such as the Metal Gear series. The stories were well-crafted and well-executed, with a main character people care about. No one, however, really cares much about Jack Ryan. Rapture's downfall has been and gone, it's been figured out, and the most important parts of it have been rescued. Going from there is basically either going to draw out the original story again, with few changes, or it's going to have to rely on a stupid plot vehicle such as resurrecting Andrew Ryan or, worse, Fontaine. So then, you're left with the prospect of making a totally different game with totally different elements.

Which means it should just be a completely different game, instead of Bioshock.

I mean, how did Bioshock become so profitable? Because it was a great game that was WORTH the money. Having to jump on a successful title's back and sodomize it until it dies is, in my opinion, the very definition of uncreative.
dtomek's Avatar
dtomek at 03/11/2008 16:39
SystemShock 2 was in the same way. Call me crazy but I might be so bold as to say that turned out well. The sequel need only be related as much as SS1 to SS2 were.
Anus Mcphanus's Avatar
Anus Mcphanus at 03/11/2008 16:41
While I agree that it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave Bioshock as a stand alone game there's no reason why they can't make a superior sequel/prequel that expands on the first game. I mean system shock 2 was better than the first right? I'm going to withhold any judgment on this game until we get some actual details but this should definitely be a one off sequel like FF-X2 and not an on going franchise
FrozenSpaceMonkey's Avatar
FrozenSpaceMonkey at 03/11/2008 16:41
@Jim
I 100% agree with the last sentence in your article, but I really wouldn't have a problem a sequel.

As I played through Bioshock, I just wanted to explore the whole damn city. After the game though, I really felt like, for a city, that there should be much more to see.

A prequel could be a good idea. I'd like to see Rapture in it's glory and it's eventual downfall before our experience.
GrayFox's Avatar
GrayFox at 03/11/2008 16:45
If Levine is involved in this then rest assured it will be done perfectly. He is pretty good at making video games.
yaisuah's Avatar
yaisuah at 03/11/2008 16:53
@autobiographical I think you @ed the wrong person cuz your response did not really relate to my post in the slightest, I didn't even use the word uncreative. But my suggestion actually fitted what you said completely so why was I @ed @?
Kapkomi's Avatar
Kapkomi at 03/11/2008 16:54
@Y0j1mb0

that frog is a 404 page
vp360's Avatar
vp360 at 03/11/2008 16:54
it better be as good or better than the first one
big filth's Avatar
big filth at 03/11/2008 16:55
@ Jim

sorry if it looked like I was saying YOU were crying about it. I didnt mean it like that, it was more of a general statement. It just surpises me that everyone isnt excited for this.

Although the first one was great, there was room for improvement.

Also, I think the sequel should be judged off its on merits and not constantly compared to the original (chances are it wont be able to live up to the enormous expectations we will all place on it) but, maybe it will, and for that maybe we should rejoice!

ok, im done now.
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 03/11/2008 17:03
@yaisuah

Excuse me, not "uncreative" but "has no imagination". Same difference. A company that can't come up with new, quality titles without having to ride the coattails of an old, previously-successful title is the one with the real lack of imagination.

I don't think people are unimaginative because they can't think of a way to continue the story - I don't think there's a way to do it without it being convoluted and hackneyed, myself. Sure, it can be DONE. But can it be done well? That's where I'm shaking my head no. And I don't consider myself unimaginative.
Timmeh's Avatar
Timmeh at 03/11/2008 17:03
Unnecessary cashing-in ahoy!

But honestly, there's no need to expand on Bioshock and any sequel, no matter how good it may or may not be is going to live up to expectations and universally disappoint.
Klytus's Avatar
Klytus at 03/11/2008 17:03
Over-rated rental.
mistic's Avatar
mistic at 03/11/2008 17:09
I'll just wait for the Dtoid Review and decide on it then :-)
TheToiletDuck's Avatar
TheToiletDuck at 03/11/2008 17:10
I hope it's a cart racer.
Oh no wait, a mini game collection.
Sw33t.
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 03/11/2008 17:20
BioShock in space!!!
Face's Avatar
Face at 03/11/2008 17:29
Deus Ex 2 has taught me no good can come of this.
Agent Orange's Avatar
Agent Orange at 03/11/2008 17:41
@ dtomek

I agree. System Shock 2 gives me hope. I just won't get too optimistic.
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 03/11/2008 17:42
I can't wait to see what changes are made to the roster update for Bioshock 2010. Hopefully they won't stick Big Daddy on the cover again. His career took a turn for the worse after they stuck him on last year's cover.
Grenator Bole's Avatar
Grenator Bole at 03/11/2008 17:43
I have my reservations, but until more information is available I'll just have to trust the creators. I do think this has great potential, but if done wrong, it could ruin a perfectly good opportunity. The team that made the first one cared about the game so much, I can't imagine they would let the sequel be sub-par.
Timmeh's Avatar
Timmeh at 03/11/2008 17:50
"BioShock in space!!!"

I know I know... We can set it on a space station, and you can wake up from a medically induced coma to find that everyone has been killed by a malevolant AI, and maybe the AI could be called SHODAN and the gaem could be called System Shock...

Oh wait.
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