BioShock wasn't always underwater

Written by Joe Martin

August 16, 2007 | 09:47

Tags: #2k #adam #big-daddy #bioshock #boston #eve #irrational #nazi #system

Companies: #rockstar

I've been following BioShock with a religious zeal for many, many years. I was honestly reading all the teaser information about the project back when it was first a glint in Ken Levine's eye.

I'm a minority though, so while it isn't a surprise to me at all, some of you may be shocked to know that BioShock wasn't always set in the underwater city of Rapture. Back in 2004 (and in planning before that) the game was going to be set in an underground bunker on a tropical island.

Gone too was Andrew Ryan, Atlas and the splicers, all of whom we touched upon in our spoiler-free preview. Instead, the original plot was about genetic experiments being performed by Nazis.

In a recent interview at CVG, Senior Designer Joe McDonagh talked about how the focus of the game shifted from this Nazi-infested island.

"Every studio has its own dynamic, but we believe that original games require a lot of iteration and sudden changes of direction. It can be terrifying and ageing at times. But it's impossible to sit down at the start of a project and say this game will be XYZ and it will be fun. Bioshock for instance started out on a tropical island with Nazis."

It's funny how things change and moving from a tropical island and Nazi setting to an underwater, art deco city heavily influenced by 50s science fiction is certainly what we'd call a sudden change of direction.

Our comprehensive review of BioShock is currently in the works, but in the mean time why not let us know what you think about the demo and the original setting for the game? You can do that in the forums, y'know.
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