In 2007, 2K Games released a groundbreaking first-person shooter that blended immersive sim, RPG, and survival-horror elements that went on to be one of the most critically acclaimed titles of its generation: BioShock. It remains one of the most beloved video games of the last two decades, and BioShock is often cited in conversations about video games as art, fully realizing its vision of an underwater 20th century dystopian American city, Rapture. It's no wonder this spawned a franchise all its own, culminating in BioShock Infinite.
While 2K was eager to release a sequel to BioShock, many of the key leads on the project were uninterested in rushing into a direct follow-up. This led the publisher to set another of its studios on BioShock 2, meanwhile original developer Irrational Games would begin a long, complex development cycle to officially create BioShock Infinite, another game lauded as a masterpiece when it released 10 years old today.
The Long, Difficult Development of BioShock Infinite
After BioShock, which faced many difficulties of its own, creative director Ken Levine (who had previously worked on beloved immersive sims like System Shock 2 and Thief: The Dark Project), had no intention of moving onto a direct sequel. At this point, the team at Irrational Games - then known as 2K Boston - began work on a game in the XCOM franchise, which inspired 2K to assign its Marin studio on BioShock 2, a direct sequel set in Rapture. This process involved cycling many members of the original BioShock team to the 2K Marin team for the development of BioShock 2, including Irrational co-founder Jon Chey.
Eventually, Levine would lose interest in the XCOM project, with 2K reassigning it to an Australian team that would come out with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Irrational began developing ideas for the next BioShock game to follow the unreleased BioShock 2, but Jon Chey left 2K before the sequel's launch in 2010. This stunted Levine's creative process, as he would frequently collaborate directly with Chey on narrative and world-building elements.
Eventually, Irrational decided on the game's setting of Columbia, a utopian city above the clouds run by a religious prophet named Zachary Hale Comstock. The game was officially announced in August 2010, six months after BioShock 2's release, and a now-infamous game demo was showcased at E3 2011, featuring an entirely rehearsed gameplay demonstration that was not intended to reflect the final game. Behind the scenes, the game's narrative was still not yet finalized.
Almost three years after development began, 2K became concerned about the progress of BioShock Infinite, with the game's budget ballooning and the game facing many internal delays. Producer Don Roy told Jason Schreier that there was still no game to be played as of March 2012, exactly a year before the title would ship, at which point Irrational entered an aggressive 12-month crunch period that would see many planned elements cut in order to develop a final project for release. After the game's release, many staff members voluntarily left Irrational Games.
What Made BioShock Infinite So Memorable
While many games that face arduous development cycles can come out the other side in a poor state, BioShock Infinite is a great example of a game that managed to receive major critical and commercial success despite its rough development. Like its predecessor, BioShock Infinite is considered one of the greatest games of all time, or at least one of the best first-person shooters.
BioShock Infinite is set in the seemingly utopian city of Columbia, based on concepts of American fundamentalism, with Columbia's inhabitants in constant reverence of Comstock as a messenger of god after splitting the city away from the American government in order to control its population, declaring it the "true America." After realizing that the only way Columbia could continue to uphold his ideals after his passing was by continuing his bloodline and raising a successor, Comstock gave birth to Elizabeth.
BioShock Infinite follows Booker DeWitt, the series' first voiced protagonist, who is a private investigator that previously fought in the "Wounded Knee Massacre." After accruing numerous gambling debts dealing with his trauma, Booker accepts a job to retrieve Elizabeth, but upon arriving in the city he is attacked for bearing the mark of the "False Prophet." This False Prophet is claimed to lead the city's lamb, his daughter Elizabeth, astray, and Comstock predicts that he will try to take her before Booker even arrives. Upon meeting Elizabeth, who has been sealed away in a tower protected by a giant mechanical bird known as Songbird, he learns that she can open rifts (or tears) to different universes.
What makes BioShock Infinite special on a narrative level is its ability to balance the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth, the political implications of its world and time setting, and elements of multiverse storytelling. The story is constantly moving forward, but Columbia never feels like just a well-dressed level. There are constant reminders of the elitism of its upper-class citizens, the struggle of the lower class and minorities, and a general underlying fear of Comstock and what he represents. Experiencing the game as Booker, who is also a stranger in Columbia, makes every new area feel as exciting as it is tense.
BioShock Infinite carries over many elements of its predecessor's gameplay, such as the first-person shooting combat combined with abilities, with vigors replacing the 2007 game's plasmids. These vigors form of abilities such as Murder of Crows, which allows the player to summon a group of birds to attack enemies; Possession, which charms enemies into fighting alongside Booker temporarily; and Devil's Kiss, which allows the player to throw a fireball or set a trap on the ground against enemies.
Since Columbia is far bigger than Rapture, the game introduces the sky hook, a device that offers greater traversal options and acts as a melee weapon during combat. One unique feature in BioShock Infinite is the ability to open Elizabeth's tears during gameplay, allowing the player to gain ammo or health from items that are being sucked in through another world. But of course, that's not the extent of Elizabeth's involvement.
BioShock Infinite's Legacy
When BioShock Infinite first released, much attention was given to Elizabeth's AI, which was highly detailed for a video game companion artificial intelligence. Many players noted that Elizabeth would interact with the environment in unique ways during narrative sequences, such as eavesdropping on civilians when passing them in crowded areas and interacting with shops and vendors. During gameplay, Elizabeth assists by supplying the player with ammo, health, and salts, often yelling "Booker, catch" before throwing an item mid-combat. Irrational's AI implementation received much critical acclaim upon release, echoed later by The Last of Us with Ellie.
While some criticism has been aimed at BioShock Infinite for its depiction of political themes and certain characters over the years, it remains one of the most memorable first-person shooter experiences of all time, and has cemented itself as part of video game history. Unfortunately, Irrational Games was closed after its release and rebranded as Ghost Story Studios, still led by Ken Levine.
Just a few months ago, Levine returned with the reveal of Judas, a very BioShock-like narrative-driven first-person shooter with a sci-fi setting that is planned to release by March 2025. Rumors claim that Judas has also fallen victim to a plethora of development issues. Meanwhile, 2K Games founded Cloud Chamber Studios in 2019, a new team dedicated to developing the next BioShock game. It is not yet known when this game is planned to be released or even be revealed, but after 10 years it is at least apparent that BioShock Infinite will not be the last entry in this acclaimed series.
BioShock Infinite is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
