2K Games has announced that BioShock Infinite, a first-person shooter, is currently in development at Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock.
This one won’t be a sequel, however, as BioShock Infinite will be set in 1912, and introduce an entirely new narrative experience that “lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky.”
The Plot
Originally conceived as a floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power, Columbia is dispatched to distant shores with great fanfare by a captivated public. What begins as a brand new endeavor of hope turns drastically wrong as the city soon disappears into the clouds to whereabouts unknown.
The player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the lost city to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.
Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games said, “In order to explore the floating city of Columbia, we needed an entirely new engine. To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build new amimation and AI systems. To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change.”
“But when it came to begin work on BioShock Infinite,” Levine said, “we only had one rule: No sacred cows. This game is both true to what people love about the series and unafraid to question every assumption.”
Release Date
BioShockInfinite is currently planned for release during calendar 2012 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
