BioShock: Infinite Message Board older than one year ago

Irrational Games coughed up the box art for BioShock Infinite today, and it features lead character Booker DeWitt and his five o'clock shadow. We're guessing that with the game's lack of multiplayer, DeWitt doesn't feel the need to be presentable.

BioShock Infinite is scheduled to launch February 26, 2013 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Check out higher resolution versions of the cover art in the gallery below.

#essay 2K Games revealed the box art for BioShock Infinite this morning and the verdict on it was swift and disapproving. More »

#bioshock The front image for Irrational Games' long-brewing historical FPS has descended from the heavens, featuring lead character Booker DeWitt looking a bit more grizzled than we've seen him before. PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are in evidence, with the latter touting the full original BioShock as part of the package. (No Wii U version, though.) BioShock Infinite is due out in February 2013. For more of Kotaku's coverage on the game, click here. More »

The game may be Infinite, but the number of players is limited to one. The third BioShock game doesn't include multiplayer, as confirmed by series creator Ken Levine on Twitter.

There's been speculation about multiplayer features in Infinite, with reports of modes cut in conjunction with staff changes at developer Irrational Games. BioShock 2 introduced competitive multiplayer to the series, a divisive move given the acclaim for the first game as a story-driven, single-player experience.

With BioShock Infinite due in a few months, fans are already looking ahead to the series' future on the next batch of consoles. One Twitter user asked Levine if he'd prefer to work on a new IP, or would he be taking BioShock to next-gen platforms. Levine's reply? "Not sure." Maybe he's stuck on how he'll mathematically number the next one.

#bioshock Back in August, we told you that we'd heard BioShock Infinite was having problems with its multiplayer, a feature that hadn't actually been publicly announced. They're problems that, come November, seem insurmountable. More »

Irrational Games' Ken Levine hypes the Ultimate Songbird edition of BioShock Infinite in this trailer, featuring the 9.75" statue designed by concept artist Robb Waters. The $150 Songbird is one of two special editions available for the game available February 26.

We check out a pre-order bonus game for Irrational's upcoming shooter.

#bioshock I enjoyed the new trailer for BioShock Infinite. It's the best look we've had in a while at a game that I've been looking forward to since 2010, when the first gameplay footage surfaced. More »

The Dishonored pre-order ‘incentives’ incited my blood to boil by appearing to chop parts of the game off and deliver them piecemeal, but when I played the game I was so content that my blood remained at a comfortable, non-volatile temperature throughout. I don’t think any of the preposterous packages can have done very much at all. Bioshock: Infinite is now offering a means to earn in-game rewards before its February release and I expect and hope that they will turn out to be similarly unnecessary. While it’s essential to pre-order to begin the process of unlocking bonuses for a game that isn’t out for almost half a year, there is a nifty puzzle game tied to the promotion. Industrial Revolution is available now to anyone with a pre-order.

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A pre-order from GameStop for the upcoming BioShock Infinite will net you not one but two games, apparently. Not only will you of course get a copy of the BioShock followup itself, but you'll also pick up a completely separate puzzle game called BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution, a Flash-based puzzle game that appears to have been created just for this promotion. Industrial Revolution places you in the shoes of a factory worker in BioShock Infinite's world, completing puzzles to support either one of the game's two factions.

Industrial Revolution will have over 50 levels to play through, and will be available to pre-order sometime before BioShock Infinite releases on February 26 of next year. The original version of BioShock had its own Hacking minigame included, but this one seems completely separate, just a fully promotional tie-in title rather than an integral part of the finished release.

Update: The offer is not exclusive to GameStop: Irrational has the full list of retailers here.

#bioshock There's a new BioShock web game out today, from the people who made the pretty cool puzzle game Cogs. Would you like to play it? Then pre-order BioShock Infinite. More »

Yep, still looks pretty awesome.

Take another look at Columbia in this new trailer made up of in-engine footage.

Bioshock Infinite has seen a few high-profile members of the team leave of late, but that doesn’t seem to have caused it to waver from its February 26th release date. The latest trailer shows off happenings of light and fury, with lots of combat. The skyline, Elizabeth, and the Handyman baddy feature heavily. If the original Bioshock was a colourful and visually offbeat shooter, then we’ll need to dust off rarely used 19th-century adjectives for this one. Go take a look.(more…)

A pre-order from GameStop for the upcoming BioShock Infinite will net you not one but two games, apparently. Not only will you of course get a copy of the BioShock followup itself, but you'll also pick up a completely separate puzzle game called BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution, a Flash-based puzzle game that appears to have been created just for this promotion. Industrial Revolution places you in the shoes of a factory worker in BioShock Infinite's world, completing puzzles to support either one of the game's two factions.

Industrial Revolution will have over 50 levels to play through, and will be available to pre-order sometime before BioShock Infinite releases on February 26 of next year. The original version of BioShock had its own Hacking minigame included, but this one seems completely separate, just a fully promotional tie-in title rather than an integral part of the finished release.

This BioShock Infinite "Beast of America" trailer shows off the streets of Columbia and demonstrates Elizabeth's helpful ways in combat.

As the first trailer for the game seen in months, this video was the result of a community vote on the game's official Facebook page. BioShock Infinite is slated to launch on February 26, 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

It’s been some time since we’ve caught a new glimpse of Irrational Games’ long-awaited follow up to BioShock, but it’s clear Ken Levine and company haven’t let time go to waste. This flashy new BioShock Infinite trailer sheds a bit more light on the backstory for protagonist Booker DeWitt, a former Pinkerton detective working to track down a missing woman on the floating city of Columbia. You’ll catch a glimpse of some new Tonic powers (including one that bears a passing resemblance to BioShock’s Electro Bolt Plasmid) and some intense new action sequences, interspersed with the polish and panache Irrational is known for.

What are you waiting for? Click play already! BioShock Infinite comes out in February for PS3 complete with PlayStation Move motion controller support and a bonus copy of the original BioShock.

#bioshock Here is "The Beast of America," the latest trailer BioShock Infinite has to offer, going live moments ago via Facebook. Supposedly stitched together according to fan preference (I voted to see Songbird, Zeppelins and Handyman in the trailer's Facebook promotion) it's 100 percent in-game footage. More »

Ken Levine has taken to his blog to unveil what the Premium and Ultimate Songbird Editions of Bioshock Infinite will contain.

#bioshock Collector's editions come and go all the damn time in video games. But it's not every day that one of a game's principal creators makes like a carnival barker trying to lure folks into opening up their wallets. That's what Irrational Games' Ken Levine is doing for the two limited editions of BioShock Infinite: More »

Irrational Games today revealed Premium and Ultimate Songbird limited editions of BioShock Infinite, the latter including the above 9.75 inch statue designed by Irrational concept artist Robb Waters.

Both editions include a 64 page mini-edition Art of Columbia art book, a 25mm resin-cast Handyman figure which ties in to the upcoming BioShock Infinite board game, a 5x7 inch lithograph depicting propaganda for Devil's Kiss vigor, a Murder of Crows replica bottle keychain, the digital soundtrack, and three exclusive in-game power-ups. Also included for Xbox 360 are exclusive Booker and Elizabeth costumes, while PC and PS3 owners get BioShock Infinite themes.

After teasing a few partial photos of the Songbird, Irrational today finally unveiled the limited editions along with their prices. The Ultimate Songbird edition featuring the statue is priced at $149.99, while the Premium Edition sits at $79.99. Irrational warns that both editions are only available in limited numbers, so if your interest couldn't possibly be more piqued you can head here to set up pre-orders.

So, you wanna buy a nice collector’s edition? I can get it for you retail.

Thanks, I’m here all week. The veal is on special.

Imagine you get to work with Robb Waters, the concept artist who visualized the cover of System Shock. The Trickster in Thief. Man-Bot in Freedom Force. BioShock’s Little Sisters. Sander Cohen. And BioShock Infinite’s Songbird.

Now imagine you can get him to personally conceive and oversee the production of the coolest statue in the world.

Then imagine we put that huge sucker in a period-style box, with custom artwork by Robb and Irrational concept artist Jorge Lacera. And that box went in the collector’s edition box, so you could leave that guy unpunched in his original packaging while you tear happily into the rest of the goodies.

Now imagine that nine-and-a-half-inch statue looked like this:

That monster is what’s in the Ultimate Songbird Edition of BioShock Infinite. But if your sugar daddy won’t pony up for the whole megillah, there’s also the Premium Edition, which includes a giant pile of swag:

• A 3-inch baby version keychain of the sold-out Murder of Crows vigor bottle replica.
• A 5 x 7-inch lithograph by Jorge Lacera.
• A 25 millimeter, resin-cast Handyman miniature from the upcoming BioShock Infinite board game by Plaid Hat Games, makers of Summoner Wars.
• A mini art book, full of BioShock Infinite concept art and commentary, with a hand-distressed cover.
• Various digital goodies: exclusive in-game gear, a digital soundtrack, and platform specific downloadable content (Avatars for Xbox LIVE, and Themes for PC and PlayStation 3).

Of course, all of the above is also included in the Ultimate Songbird Edition. And for the true nerds in the audience, the Songbird statue, the Murder of Crows keychain, and the Handyman all come in separate custom packaging.

Both collector’s editions will be available in limited quantities, so yadda yadda, sign your life away right now!

You owe it to yourself (and to poor, sad Ken Levine, who can always be spotted by his tiny crutch that sits forlornly by the Christmas dinner table) to check the thing out in this lovely display made by our amazing web team. I like it. My mother likes it. So it must be good.

All collector’s editions are available for pre-order now in the US and in Europe and Australia starting Monday, October 22nd.

BioShock Infinite's AI lead, Don Norbury, and combat design director Clint Bundrick are now at Microsoft, Superannuation tweets. Norbury's new job at Microsoft is senior software development engineer, while Bundrick is senior designer, their LinkedIn profiles read.

Four Irrational employees left the studio in August. The most surprising departure was Nate Wells, who had been with Irrational for 13 years. Irrational Games founder Ken Levine said these employees were part of a normal turnover for a company of 200 employees, and they wanted to "spread their wings." Infinite producer Joseph Faulstick also left Irrational for Microsoft in May.

BioShock Infinite is set to drop in February, and the first trailer in four months is set to be revealed on October 21.

#bioshock Two more developers have left Irrational Game, makers of BioShock Infinite. According to LinkedIn, Artificial intelligence lead Don Norbury and combat design director Clint Bundrick are the latest to depart the Boston-based company. More »

Irrational Games is back with more BioShock Infinite goodness, after taking a hiatus starting with the delay in May. After refraining from showing any new footage for four months, Irrational is almost ready to reveal a new trailer, as chosen by fans. Well, fans who "Like" the BioShock Facebook page.

After liking the page, fans get to choose if they want Elizabeth or Songbird to star in the next trailer, which will drop in 10 days, according to the countdown clock. When Irrational announced its assets break, it noted "the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box." With a February release date encroaching, this trailer launch looks promising.

The Art of BioShock Infinite, a compendium of concept art, character designs and production stills, will launch on February 27, the day after the game itself drops, MTV Multiplayer reports. The art book is published by Dark Horse, who is behind the Hyrule Historia and many other gaming-comics crossovers, such as the Valve and Mass Effect collections.

The Art of Bioshock Infinite will feature an introduction from franchise creator Ken Levine. Along with confirmed character designs for Booker, Elizabeth and Songbird, we expect to see a few sketches of the game's notable enemies as well. Amazon has the book available for pre-order, with a list price of $40 and a release date that doesn't yet match up with the official announcement.

See the full cover for The Art of BioShock Infinite below.

#watchthis The premiere trailer for BioShock Infinite was such a tease. A beautiful new environment, a mysterious and solemn-looking new character, and lots and lots of propaganda. More »

Art director Nate Wells worked at Irrational Games for 13 years, beginning in September 1999 and the company's System Shock 2 days. Yesterday we discovered Wells and a handful of other people working on BioShock Infinite were no longer with Irrational, and Wells' Twitter briefly teased a job change before being deleted. While the bulk of people leaving Irrational can be chalked up to industry turnover, Wells' departure stands out, for the public and Irrational Games founder Ken Levine.

"In a company of 200 people you're going to have turnover," Levine tells Kotaku. "We never like to see a guy like Nate leave because he's been here for a long time, but it's been 13 years and I think sometimes people want to spread their wings. I'm not going to stop people. We love Nate and I think we all remain friends. After 13 years he sort of finished his work on BioShock Infinite, as you will be able to tell when you see the game again... I think Nate's moving on to something else."

Replacing Wells is Scott Sinclair, the art director for the first BioShock. This rounds out the core BioShock team that has stuck with the franchise - which is an achievement all on its own, Levine says:

"As far as the team itself, the lead artist, the art director, the creative director, the lead effects artist, the senior sound guy, the lead programer and the lead AI programmer from BioShock 1 are all on BioShock Infinite. I don't think there's a single senior BioShock team member that isn't here, which I think is amazing and a testament to their commitment to the studio."

#bioshock A string of bad news about one of the most anticipated games on the planet might be giving BioShock Infinite fans cause for concern. But the game's creative director, Ken Levine, tried to allay concerns during a call with Kotaku today. He did so on the heels of us learning some surprising details about Infinite's development from sources close to the game. More »

Several members of BioShock Infinite developer Irrational Games have left behind the buoyant shores of Columbia. At least four individuals now list Irrational games as a "past" employer on LinkedIn, with some even listing new current positions at other developers.

The four who have left include design lead Jeff McGann, principal systems designer Kenneth Strickland, director of product development Tim Gerritsen and art director Nate Wells. Wells' departure is particularly noteworthy, as he has been with Irrational for nearly 13 years, having joined the company in September of 1999.

Gamasutra reports that Wells' Twitter bio briefly mentioned he was changing jobs, though the reference has since been removed. Furthermore, his LinkedIn page noted developer Naughty Dog as an employer in 2012, though that has also been removed.

At the very least, we know who's replacing Wells on the project, namely Scott Sinclair, art director for the original BioShock. Ken Levine himself confirmed as much on Twitter, stating that Sinclair is "back in the art director's chair for Infinite to bring it home." He added that he "Can't wait" to show fans "what's cooking." The wait could still be a while, as Levine has made it clear that we won't be seeing Infinite again until it's practically finished.

Meanwhile, Joe Fielder, formerly a producer at Irrational, is now listed as a writer.

It's worth noting that BioShock Infinite is nearing its February 2013 release date, and it's not uncommon for studios to shed staff as development draws to a close. Joystiq has contacted Irrational for comment.