Ken Levine Reveals BioShock’s Near Cancellation Due to Financial Concerns

Ken Levine, the director of the iconic BioShock series, has opened up about the game’s turbulent development. Speaking to Edge Magazine (thanks GamesRadar), Levine recounted the early struggles the game faced, including budget constraints and skepticism from publishers. Initially, many developers at Irrational Games joined the project because of their love for System Shock 2. However, Levine was hesitant to pursue a similar path due to financial concerns, famously stating, “We can’t make those games because they don’t sell.”

Despite his initial resistance, the team persisted, and they created a low-cost prototype to pitch to publishers. However, the response was largely negative, with many rejecting the game due to the poor financial performance of similar titles. In a strategic move, the team decided to pitch BioShock to journalists instead, leveraging a retrospective on System Shock 2. This generated significant interest and ultimately attracted the attention of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of 2K and Rockstar Games.

Take-Two acquired the publishing rights and provided a modest budget for BioShock, which was still considered low compared to modern blockbusters. The project faced numerous challenges, including going over budget and concerns about the game’s controversial content, such as the ability to kill and harvest ‘Little Sisters’. Despite these hurdles, BioShock was not canceled and eventually became a massive hit, spawning sequels and selling over 41 million copies.

Today, BioShock continues to captivate audiences, with a live-action film adaptation in the works and a fourth game in development. Ken Levine has since moved on to new projects, including a BioShock-inspired game called Judas.