BioShock 2 in the tubes

In its quarterly report released Tuesday (March 11, 2008), Take-Two pseudo-officially announced the sequel to BioShock is to be released by the end of the 2009. The game will be developed by studio 2k Marin (that’s California, near Sacramento). The sequel isn’t considered too much of a surprise because its predecessor sold 2 million copies and drew plenty of glowing reviews.

But wait. What about about 2k Boston, Ken Levine’s studio? Creating a harmony of gameplay in an options-driven shooter is not an easy task. Deus Ex took a spill when Harvey Smith came in to take over Warren Spector’s project-director chair. Not a terrible game by any stretch, but missing some of the magic. Shack News reports that Ken Levine would be involved in an as yet unnamed capacity.

What would you like to see in a new BioShock title? More powers or maybe fewer? Vehicles? Co-op play? (Spoiler:) Personally, I’d like a violence-free, emotionally groundbreaking experience of the main character’s assimilation back into society. Nah, I’m just playin’. I just want an M16.

It looks like the Marin team is still getting its act together, as its site offers little more than a logo and job listings. Animators, level designers, programmers and even lead designers are in demand over at the studio.

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