BioShock Infinite Delayed Until 2013

Fans everywhere were once happy to hear that BioShock Infinite would be coming out sometime this year but now BioShock fans are crying due to BioShock Infinite being pushed back to 2013.

Even though BioShock Infinite is going from a 2012 release date to a 2013 one, we now the exact release date for the game - February 26, 2013. A push backed release date isn't the only sad news for Ken Levine has announced that the game will not be shown at E3 or Gamescom this year.

Here is the following message from Levine:

A MESSAGE FROM KEN LEVINE

When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timing. 

Since then, we’ve come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need, we’ve decided to move the game’s release to February 26, 2013. We wanted to let our loyal (and very patient!) fans know this as soon as possible.

I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter. We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren’t the Big Daddies you’ve since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan’s golf club didn’t have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco.

The same principle now applies to BioShock Infinite.

What does this mean for you? It means a bit more waiting, but more importantly, it means an even better BioShock Infinite. The great can be made greater, and we owe it to both ourselves and to you, our fans, to take this opportunity. Irrational Games is one of those rare developers lucky enough to ask the people who sign the checks: “Hey, can we have a few more of those checks?”

We are also going to hold off on showing BioShock Infinite at the big events of the summer, like E3 and Gamescom. That way, the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box. Preparing for these events takes time away from development, time we’re going to use instead to get the best version of Infinite into your hands in February.

[Discuss this on the forums.]

Read more »

BioShock Infinite Offers 1999 Mode

Irrational Games is bringing back an older style of video game gameplay for BioShock:Infinite with a new mode called 1999 Mode.

1999 Mode changes things up that makes things more difficult along with some new features that are going to surprise the players apparently. What the new features are, no one is quite sure at this time, but Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, explains 1999 Mode a little more.

“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots,” says Ken Levine. “In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.

“I’m an old school gamer. We wanted to make sure we were taking into account the play styles of gamers like me. So we went straight to the horse’s mouth by asking them, on our website, a series of questions about how they play our games. 94.6 percent of respondents indicated that upgrade choices enhanced their BioShock gameplay experience; however, 56.8 percent indicated that being required to make permanent decisions about their character would have made the game even better.”

BioShock: Infinite will be hitting stores sometimes this year on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Read more »