Bioshock Was Almost Cancelled As The Director Thought It Wouldn’t Sell Well

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Abdullah Waseem

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Bioshock is nearly two decades old and remains one of the most prominent IPs in gaming. The original game immediately became a hit for its unique story-telling and atmosphere, but this success was almost stopped by the director himself.

According to his latest statement, the first game was on the cusp of being cancelled before becoming a reality.

Why it matters: This instance underscores the challenges of experimenting with unique ideas in gaming. The same problem is even more prevalent in modern development since projects have such big budgets.

According to Bioshock director Ken Levine, the franchise faced various challenges early on regarding budgets and sales expectations. The game was a risk that the team was hesitant to take.

As reported by GamesRadar, many original developers came to Levine due to their love for immersive sim classic System Shock 2. However, Levine scrapped the idea because these types of games didn’t typically sell much.

We can’t make those games because they don’t sell well.

-Ken Levine

Interestingly, even the prototype created by Irrational Games was rejected by most publishers. However, it was later pitched to journalists who really liked the idea, and Levine received several calls for the idea to be put in motion.

The publishing rights were then picked up by Take-Two, which acquired Irrational Games in the future. The series, once on the brink of cancellation, went on to record great sales and saw a positive reception from the audiences and critics.

While Levine left the company as it was shut down, Bioshock is set to make a comeback with a fourth game in development, as well as a Netflix TV show in the works. Meanwhile, Levine is working on a similar game titled Judas, set for March 2025.

Abdullah Waseem

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