BioShock Creator Reveals New Game Development Studio
By Derek Nichols 24 February 2017
It’s been a while since fans have heard any news from Ken Levine and his small team of developers after their unfortunate downsizing. After three years, Levine’s new studio has officially been revealed as Ghost Story Games, a name inspired by actual ghost stories that are immersive, exciting, and steeped in community. The newly created studio is founded by twelve former Irrational Games developers including Levine, art director Shawn Robertson, executive producer Don Roy.
While many are wondering what Levine and the team have been creating, the new studio isn’t ready to discuss its first project just yet. There have been a few hints however as the team describes itself as being dedicated to creating immersive story driven experiences for fans who love games that provide a bit of a challenge. Ghost Story’s mission statement also name drops BioShock, arguably the highest profile game many of the staff have previously worked on, though the studio makes it clear that they are no longer involved with that franchise.
Additional hints about the studio’s unannounced game can be gleaned from the website as well. Jeremy Carson, the technical lead at Ghost Song writes that the studio is fortunate to be working on a new IP, exploring a new idea. Job postings also reveal that the immersive game is utilizing Unreal Engine 4 and will be a first-person shooter sci-fi game with RPG elements in a semi-open world to explore. The title appears to still be in the early stages of production, though everything that has so far been revealed pretty much aligns with what studio head, Ken Levine, has revealed previously about his unannounced title over the past couple of years.
Eagle-eyed fans may remember that Take-Two Interactive filed a trademark for a then unannounced property known as Ghost Story. Considering that major developer studios like Firaxis and Rockstar reside under Take Two, speculation ran wild about what the name could be. Many believed the trademark was for an upcoming game likely from one of the many studios who had gone quiet like the former BioShock 2 development studio, 2K Marin.
Are you excited to see Ken Levine and his studio actively working on a new project? What are you hoping their first game will be?
