BioShock Vita development is up to Take-Two and Sony, says Levine

[AranhaHunter]

No details. Announced by Ken Levine himself during the Sony conference.

[cajmoyper]

Very cool. I just hope the Vita does well enough for people to appreciate what it's going to be...incredibly fantastic.

[Shin-Ra]

Wonder if it's a different genre.

[AranhaHunter]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Wonder if it's a different genre.

I hope not!

[Shin-Ra]

BioShock Infinite and Beyond

IGN: I thought the mention of BioShock on Vita was also very interesting. I don't know if that's BioShock 1 or if it's Infinite.

Ken Levine: That's a new game. That is going to be strange and surprising to people, in the same way. I think when we launched Infinite, people said, "Wait, what, what are you doing?" I think we always want to surprise people. If I'm just saying, "Here's BioShock 1 on Vita"... Let's say we potentially do, you don't need us to do that, somebody could make that happen if they wanted that to happen.

For us, it's like, "Hey, here's this weird experiment you want to do." Experiments always carry risks, though. That's been the experience of working on BioShock Infinite. And working on BioShock. People saying, "This is weird, risky, I don't understand." I'm fortunate that I get to do things that are risky, my team gets to do things that are risky.

IGN: So it's not a tie-in to Infinite, it's a different project being built from the ground up sort of thing?

Ken Levine: All I'll say is that it's its own thing, being built from the ground up, yes.

IGN: Okay. Would a BioShock experience in a mobile format, and I don't know if Vita is necessarily a mobile format as an iPad is a mobile format, where the games for an iPad tend to be consumable in five-minute chunks.

Ken Levine: That's not the kind of game I'm going to make. It is a core game. I love my iPad. The games that I play -- Civ Revolution on my iPad, I play 100 Rogues on my iPad -- I tend to play core games. I'm not a huge Fruit Ninja guy, it just doesn't interest me. I respect what those guys do, and obviously they're able to tap into a kind of zeitgeist that is outside what I do, and I respect that a lot, but it's just not me. I'm a core gamer. If you're looking at me to make a game like that, you're probably hiring the wrong dude.

IGN: Do you think the controller itself, the mouse and keyboard on PC, is that something that will gradually be left behind as more people convert to touch interfaces and that sort of thing?

Ken Levine: I'm not so sure about that. I wrote my Sony thing on the plane, right? On my iPad. Text manipulation on a touch screen is still pretty dicey. It's not to say some genius can't come along and invent it, something better... But most of my gaming is still mouse and keyboard gaming. I don't know. One of the things I like about Vita is that the back-touch interface... I'm not a fan of blocking what you're doing. It's fine for auxiliary things, like buttons and stuff, but I don't want to have my hands on my experience.

But look, I'm open. I'm always willing to be convinced of something. And I don't know how to solve every problem in the universe. There are times you come along and you just see something that works. I remember when I first saw mouselook on a PC, I thought, oh, duh, that solves a huge problem. The moment you tried it... And I still remember people who hated it, who wanted to play Quake and Doom using all keyboard, they hated the mouse. So sometimes it comes along and it's obvious to everybody, sometimes there's more of a learning process. As long as I don't have to give up something that I know works. I'm willing to try anything.

[AranhaHunter]

Well that didn't really tell us anything, except maybe that it will use the back touch screen to do some stuff. Maybe to hack vending machines and turrets?

[Mavrick]

BioShock Vita is "a little different"

The Vita installment in Irrational Games' BioShock franchise is "a little different", according to series creator Ken Levine.

Speaking in an interview with Joystiq, Levine explained that the game was still very early in development but hinted that the studio is taking an experimental approach with the title.

"We're still sort of in the paper design stage," he explained, before revealing that the game won't purely be a handheld port of Infinite or one of the first two BioShock games.

"That's not the current goal for what we're doing. I think for us, the idea we have is a really good expression on a platform like that. It's a different goal. And it has to sort of have its own voice in the franchise. If it just feels like a quieter voice in the franchise, I don't think that works."

Levine wouldn't offer anything more concrete but added, "I'd rather do something that's an experiment and that's a little different. And is unique for the franchise."

He went on to explain that there's a chance the title could be outsourced to an external developer.

"Potentially, potentially," he said, explaining that he had already spoken with some "extraordinary people" regarding the possibility of bringing in outside help. However, he wasn't ready to commit to any particular developer.

"To keep quality level... I wish I could say it was easy... it just tends to be more time consuming," he added. "It's just hard to find the right partners or the right people to hire."

Irrational's current project, BioShock Infinite, takes flight some time next year on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

EG

[AranhaHunter]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...e-two-and-sony

The BioShock Vita version is being hammered out by the suits at Take-Two and Sony, Ken Levine has said.

The Irrational Games chief took to the stage at E3 2011 to announce a BioShock game of some description, but we've heard nothing since, and Levine's latest comments suggest full production on the game is yet to begin.

Speaking to Eurogamer this week Levine said he was still interested in making a BioShock for Sony's portable console, but it was out of his hands.

“Where the Vita stands right now, it's in the hands of the business people at Take-Two and the business people at Sony working out, hey, what happens in these business people discussions? Fortunately I don't have to take part in it any more because I sold my company a long time ago.

“It's something I'm still very interested in. I still have a cool design for it. It's a question of, do those guys come to find the right mix that makes everybody happy to make that happen?”

Whatever BioShock turns out to be on Vita, we know it won't be a port of BioShock Infinite.

“I've never said it was Infinite,” Levine said. “It will be something. I'm always hesitant to talk too much about things we don't have anything to show about because it's getting ahead of ourselves. I'm trying to be very careful."

Rumor has it sony paid $12 mil for the turd that was COD Vita and another $12 mil for the polished turd that was AC3: L. With the former they still had to find, and presumably pay, the developer. Sounds like these meetings between T2 and Sony are T2 trying to get some money AND possibly have sony develop the game. Kinda like how Rovio wanted Angry Birds and Gearbox wanted Borderlands 2 to be done on vita.

Poor sony, seems like if they want 3rd party games on the vita, they'll have to pay up some dough for the IP AND develop the game themselves lol

This is a list off the top of my head of 3rd party games that Sony has announced where development of the game hadn't even started at the time of announcement

FFVXIII
TLG
FFX HD
Agent
RE PSP
DMC PSP
Elder Scroll Travelers PSP
COD BOD
FFXIV
Bioshock Vita

This is a real issue and does not bode well for future games announced by Sony. I know I won't believe it until I see gameplay footage.

[RaijinUT]

Originally Posted by AranhaHunter

Rumor has it sony paid $12 mil for the turd that was COD Vita

If that is true then the person at Sony who authorized this from a sh!t 3rd party developer deserves to be fired.

[Mavrick]

Originally Posted by RaijinUT

If that is true then the person at Sony who authorized this from a sh!t 3rd party developer deserves to be fired.

There's much more to it than that. The game was well under way as a direct port of Black Ops 2 over at Vicarious Visions long before it was thrown at Nihlistic.

VV just couldn't get the job done and it was thrown in Nihilistics lap and they were told they got 5 months to put out a playable game. Considering the timescale I'm amazed they put anything out at all.

[AranhaHunter]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

There's much more to it than that. The game was well under way as a direct port of Black Ops 2 over at Vicarious Visions long before it was thrown at Nihlistic.

Yeah but that means one of a few things:

1) The vita is less powerful than the Wii, as COD BO, MW, MW3 ran just fine on Wii, but of course with worse graphics and whatnot. And I think it was a small team that did that port
2) VV are incompetent and cannot accomplish a port on a machine more powerful than the Wii
3) The rumor is not legit

[PA_Kid]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

There's much more to it than that. The game was well under way as a direct port of Black Ops 2 over at Vicarious Visions long before it was thrown at Nihlistic.

VV just couldn't get the job done and it was thrown in Nihilistics lap and they were told they got 5 months to put out a playable game. Considering the timescale I'm amazed they put anything out at all.

As far as I can tell, that's still all just hearsay.

But even if it isn't, should the guy who agreed to that be fired? Not sure he should. We can all think it is garbage (I haven't touched any CoD, not a fan) but if it put new rears in seats (i.e. moved actual handhelds) then it probably did it's job.

I don't know about you all, but it felt like I saw an uptick of new people on Near when it released. And lets be honest, not every consumer is a gaming fan that follows all the sites and reviews and such.

[PA_Kid]

Originally Posted by AranhaHunter

Yeah but that means one of a few things:

1) The vita is less powerful than the Wii, as COD BO, MW, MW3 ran just fine on Wii, but of course with worse graphics and whatnot. And I think it was a small team that did that port
2) VV are incompetent and cannot accomplish a port on a machine more powerful than the Wii
3) The rumor is not legit

Are you being serious on #1 knowing that we've already gotten Uncharted: GA, Gravity Rush, Wipeout, Need for Speed, Little Big Planet, and AC3:L?

If you're being serious, I think the issue is more likely similar to Skyrim where it isn't so much a raw power issue as not being able do a straight port due to programing differences.

[AranhaHunter]

Originally Posted by PA_Kid

Are you being serious on #1 knowing that we've already gotten Uncharted: GA, Gravity Rush, Wipeout, Need for Speed, Little Big Planet, and AC3:L?

If you're being serious, I think the issue is more likely similar to Skyrim where it isn't so much a raw power issue as not being able do a straight port due to programing differences.

Vita is more powerful than the Wii. My opinion on this is a combination of 2 and 3.

[Omegaice]

Can we get this thread back on topic please? Move the CoD rhetoric to that thread & let's talk aboot BioShock.

[Mavrick]

BioShock Vita 'is in the hands of business people right now'

Ken Levine says Irrational's game idea "has a lot of potential"

A BioShock game for Vita could still be made, but owners of Sony's handheld probably shouldn't hold their breath for an official announcement any time soon.

Irrational Games boss and BioShock Infinite creative director Ken Levine essentially told IGN that the project is still in the paper design stage.

He said: "That is in the hands of business people right now. It's something I'm still interested in, and people ask me that all the time.

"Right now I'm just sort of waiting to see what the business people come up with, and that's sort of out of my hands at this point.

"That's something that I think has a lot of potential. The game idea we have has a lot of potential. It's just a question of [if] their stars all align."

Levine announced BioShock Vita during Sony's E3 press conference in June 2011. At the time, he said the "core" game was "its own thing being built from the ground up".

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ple-right-now/

[Mr. Al]

Then the business people are going to look at how bad the Vita is doing in sale and then drop the project because the game won't make any money.

[Havok83]

Looks like its not happening anymore

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/...-bioshock-vita

[Hayabusa85]

If he still wants to make it he should start a Kickstarter for it or something. Just make the same game without the Bioshock branding which would hardly be crucial.