Following BioShock Infinite and its excellent, noir-esque DLC Burial at Sea, Creative Director Ken Levine formally announced plans to “wind down” Irrational Games as we know it. Almost every staff member was laid off as Levine and a handful of key developers switched gears to double down on digital, narrative-driven games.
That was three years ago, and today brings word that a dozen former Irrational employees – Levine included – have rallied together to form Ghost Story Games. Little is known about the studio’s current project(s), but according to the official site, the end goal of Ghost is to “create immersive, story-driven games for people who love games that ask something of them.”
Ken Levine has been appointed President and Creative Director of Ghost Story Games, who will oversee a team comprised of Shawn Robertson, Don Roy, Emma Clarkson, Seth Kendall, and many more.
While discussing the newfound studio, Kendall noted that the creative team will have a “real focus on making core games for core gamers. Emphasis on making games with inspiring and intriguing story and characters, with a high-quality bar for execution. Deep interest in finding innovative solutions to problems that have plagued game development for decades. The world and IP we are creating is richly specific and original, and conveys both wonder and nostalgia.”
Irrational Games is no more, but Ghost Story Games has officially risen from the ashes. It’s actively hiring, too, indicating that it shouldn’t be too long before the developer’s maiden title marches into production, whatever that project turns out to be.
Tell us, what are your thoughts on Irrational’s overhaul? Let us know in the usual spot below.
