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Levine on Bioshock Vita: "it's not Bioshock Infinite."

Hmmm would be very awesome if we got to see something on it tomorrow. Wishful thinking I know, especially since they're busy finishing up Infinite but I really want to see what they have going on.
 
cuyahoga said:
Yeah, I'm still skeptical this is actually in the works.
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I think Irrational/2K will wait for Vita to establish an healthier user base before they fully commit to this project. But Levine himself entered Sony's E3 stage to announce this. That should account for something.
 
http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioshock-for-ps-vita-on-backburner-6373628

Levine explained that the studio's focus is presently centered on BioShock Infinite, which is expected to ship for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 16.

"These games really are all-consuming endeavors," he said. "You do want to keep the ball rolling but it is tough to give it your full attention before you finish what you have. But we’re getting there with Infinite. So yeah, we're not as focused on the Vita game as we will be."

BioShock for the PS Vita was announced at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo during Sony's media briefing. Details were thin at the show, but last October, Levine offered an update on the game, saying it was in "paper design stage."

The developer said he wants BioShock for the PS Vita to be "unique" and "an experiment that's a little different." He also explained that the studio is considering outsourcing the PS Vita version to another developer, but said he is wary about handing control of its IP off to someone else.
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I would actually like to see some more experimental gameplay in a setting like Rapture.
 
"please ken just tell them you're making one"

"but we're busy"

"ken please"

"no"

"just get up on stage and say you're making one"

"no"

"ken"

"no"

"keeeeeen be a pal"
 
Mpl90 said:
...We're still in the pre-development phase, if they have still to decide if to handle it internally or not. Wow.
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Unfortunately the Vita's poor start has probably doomed it (the Bioshock title) for the foreseeable future. I hope if/when it comes out, it doesn't rely on the back touchpad.
 
So, basically, it's still not in active development, six months later. I'd be very surprised if it actually ships as a Vita exclusive, unless Sony is footing the entire bill for the game.
 
Cipherr said:
Guess that means theres no way this launches inside of a year from now then.
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I would be surprised if this "project" shows up at all. After Infinite they will probably start their next-gen development and have an excuse why the cant continue development.
 
Xater said:
Hasn't he said that before already? Slow news day?
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Ehhh. I think the more newsworthy part is that this game is still not even off of the ground yet. And this is stated in an article dated today, long after this game was announced. I mean, its literally now a Q3 2013 title at best, and thats assuming they outsource it immediately to a studio that starts work on it today.

I mean goddamn.
 
Yup, this will not come out for the Vita in the near future, not with the flatlining of Vita sales. The design was only being worked on in paper form 4 months before it's release, guaranteed that work has stopped on it since.
 
Holy cow, still in the paper design stage after a year since announcement? Not even at the point where they're sure if they will develop it? It seems like it was a terrible idea to announce this so long ago.
 
Wired: Your big appearance at last E3 was on Sony’s stage. I think a lot of people were wondering what to think about the PlayStation Vita and you, very generously, gave Sony a lot of your credibility that you’ve built up based on System Shock and BioShock. I can’t think of other people on your tier who could walk out onto that stage and say “I’m making a game, I have nothing to show you, but trust me.”

Were you nervous about going up and announcing that without anything to show?

Levine: Yeah, absolutely. Look, Sony has been –- and I’m not just giving you bullshit here -– a great, great partner to us. You’re going to see some stuff coming up that illustrates that. You know, they just sent me a Vita with a bunch of games, and that’s a tiny thing, but there are so many huge things. They’re very nice to us.

So when they asked me to get on stage, I was a little nervous because as I said, I don’t like to go out and just talk. I want to show you something first and then talk about it because it is tough to speak abstractly about things. I don’t want to convince you, I’d much rather have the work convince you.

When they asked me to do that and at first I was like, “Well, I don’t really have a lot to talk about and the last thing I want to do is go out and make a bunch of promises.” I tried to really downplay what I was presenting, which is tough on a stage where presenters are going out and saying “We’re gonna do this!”

But that’s just not my personality. I tried to manage people’s expectations of what the Vita game is going to be. Not because I think they’re going to be bad but because I’d rather not talk like a marketing person. I’d rather say, “Here’s the basic thing we’re doing and maybe you’ll check it out!”
You shouldn’t be complaining about developers hyping their work, because you should just not listen to them.

I think that’s what’s always so interesting about the game space. I think a lot of people worry about games being overhyped. Look, frankly, if you’re going to believe me about BioShock Infinite over your friends and reviewers, you’re probably doing yourself a disservice.

It is my baby, right? I am not an objective judge of it or anything we do. I’m going to go out and talk about the game and I’m going to tell you what I honestly think about it. And generally, if I wasn’t excited about it, then I’m making a mistake in the development process. Because then, why don’t I go back and do something I’ll be excited about?

I always say, look, don’t believe the hype. Listen to you guys, or listen to your buddies or go on the internet when a game comes out. But you shouldn’t be complaining about developers hyping their work, because you should just not listen to them. That’s their job, is to hype it.

I’m fortunate that I get to hype things I really believe in, I don’t have to go out and hype stuff I don’t believe in. And when I’m not ready to hype it, I just don’t talk much about it and that’s why when people ask me about the Vita game, I just say I’m not ready to talk about it because I don’t have anything to show yet.

Wired: Are you really focusing on BioShock Infinite before you get to work on the Vita game? Or are you working on both simultaneously?

Levine: These games really are all-consuming endeavors. You do want to keep the ball rolling but it is tough to give it your full attention before you finish what you have. But we’re getting there with Infinite.

Wired: Well, you just announced a release date.

Levine: Yes! October 16! Which is great, because now we have an end date and we can know when it’s time to put pencils down. You can keep going forever, honestly. I could work on this game for another 20 years and keep polishing it and making it better. But at some point –- and this wasn’t decided by our publisher, this was my decision –- you need to say “this is the date.” It helps keep the team focused on finishing it, knowing they have a constraint. I always think you work the hardest when you have constraints because that sort of helps you define your task.

So yeah, we’re not as focused on the Vita game as we will be.
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http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/04/ken-levine-interview/2/
 
So that outsourcing quote is not in the Wired interview...

FWIW I always figured this game was a ways off. If they are going to develop in-house, summer 2014 would be the earliest semi-realistic release window. It wouldn't be so bad if Digital Extremes or 2K Marin were working on it with Levine as director.
 
theBishop said:
So that outsourcing quote is not in the Wired interview...
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The outsource quote comes from this interview.

He also explained that Irrational has spoken with some "extraordinary people" regarding the potential to outsource the Vita project, but he's not ready to commit to any one studio in particular just yet, if Irrational ends up going that route at all. "To keep quality level ... I wish I could say it was easy ... it just tend to be more time consuming," he said reservedly of working with external partners. "It's just hard to find the right partners or the right people to hire."
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Sammy Samusu said:
The outsource quote comes from this interview.
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Yeah, meh. Old news. And like I said before, an outsourced Bioshock for Vita come out far sooner than one developed by Irrational. Given the choice between Bioshock on Vita next year from 2K Marin or Bioshock on Vita in 2014 from Irrational, I'm not sure which is preferable.
 
The only thing that gives me hope is that Levine is still talking about the project 11 months later. But I wouldn't be surprised if after Bioshock Infinite gets released, Irrational/Levine begins working on another game and that is the excuse to not work on Bioshock Vita and the game keeps getting delayed.

I would like to see this original take on the Bioshock franchise come to life someday but I understand the complications.
 
Levine: Yeah, absolutely. Look, Sony has been –- and I’m not just giving you bullshit here -– a great, great partner to us. You’re going to see some stuff coming up that illustrates that. You know, they just sent me a Vita with a bunch of games, and that’s a tiny thing, but there are so many huge things. They’re very nice to us.
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Gotta give props to Sony - at least for developer relations, they are doing something right.
 
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