Ken Levine today announced via irrationalgames.com that Irrational Games will be closing after the release of The last DLC for BioShock Infinite (Burial at Sea Episode 2, scheduled to be released on march 25).
“I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it. I’ll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two.That is going to mean parting ways with all but about fifteen members of the Irrational team. “
The news will come as a blow to Bioshock fans, but perhaps we can take comfort in the fact that some of the minds behind these thought-provoking adventures will still be producing games as a team.
“When I first contemplated what I wanted to do, it became very clear to me that we were going to need a long period of design. Initially, I thought the only way to build this venture was with a classical startup model, a risk I was prepared to take. But when I talked to Take-Two about the idea, they convinced me that there was no better place to pursue this new chapter than within their walls. After all, they’re the ones who believed in and supported BioShock in the first place.”
Levine showed great consideration and support for staff members who will be unfortunately losing their jobs.
“Besides financial support, the staff will have access to the studio for a period of time to say their goodbyes and put together their portfolios. Other Take-Two studios will be on hand to discuss opportunities within the company, and we’ll be hosting a recruiting day where we’ll be giving 3rd party studios and publishers a chance to hold interviews with departing Irrational staff.”
Levine ends his statement by reassuring fans that Irrational will do their best to keep them updated as more questions come in and supplies potential employers with an email adress if they are “interested in interviewing some of the best games developers in the world.”
It’s never “good news” when we hear about a games studio shutting down but hopefully we can expect exciting things in the future from Take-Two!
