Irrational Games - Ken Levine Shuts Studio Down

aries100 · February 19, 2014

In a surprising turn of evenst, Ken Levine, the man behind Irrational Games, decided to shut the studio down permanently. However, he will keep a small team of 15 people at Take-Two:

I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it. I'll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two. That is going to mean parting ways with all but about fifteen members of the Irrational team......Initially, I thought the only way to build this venture was with a classical startup model, a risk I was prepared to take. But when I talked to Take-Two about the idea, they convinced me that there was no better place to pursue this new chapter than within their walls. After all, they're the ones who believed in and supported BioShock in the first place.

What's your views and opinions in this?

More information.

Couchpotato · February 19, 2014

Thread started already in the Non-RPG forum section.

Here is the link with more comments.

Link - http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23445

Morbus · February 19, 2014

While it very much remains to be seen what he will be making with this new enterprise of his, this move by Take-two has earned them some respect from my part, to be honest. That they see potential in the low-investment/high-profit of niche-oriented "proper" games (i.e. not casual games) is something I wouldn't expect from a company as big as them, and a publisher no less!, which, as we all know, are the worst kind of company in the business.

joxer · February 19, 2014

And I wrote a sentence in that other thread IIRC, but could write another one. :evilgrin:

Honestly, and I'm not joking, I feel like throwing up just by seeing that man's name on this forum in the news - believe it or not, I didn't feel like this since Romero released Daikatana and that was probably 3 centuries ago.

Serestrum · February 20, 2014

What a horrible egotistical man. Infinite was an overrated joke, it only made all that noise because gaming journalists (uughh) want to give a more serious and "artsy" direction to the market. I mean, TakeTwo fired all those people and kept the "idea" guy that cost them millions. Ridiculous.

jhwisner · February 20, 2014

Serestrum said:
TakeTwo fired all those people and kept the "idea" guy that cost them millions. Ridiculous.

Sort of, they're having a hiring fair where companies will be coming to them to interview and hire the laid off employees, among the companies vying to hire the displaced employees are:

ArenaNet LLC
Demiurge
High Voltage Software
GSN Games
Crytek USA and Crytek (global)
BioWare/EA
Retro Studios
Certain Affinity
Insomniac Games
Sledgehammer (Activision)
Treyarch (activision)
Vicarous Visions
Neversoft Entertainment
Turtle Rock
Fireforge Games
Gearbox
Xamarin Inc
Red 5 Studios
Windward Mark Interactive
Avalanche Studios
Hasbro
Sucker Punch Productions
Turbine
Bethesda Softworks / id Software / zeniMax

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s0jlh5

Also, the main title did generate over a half billion dollars in sales so I don't think it is entirely accurate to characterize levine as costing them millions.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkai...ite-developer-irrational-games-shutting-down/

And Take-Two's decision to convince him to stay on and work on smaller possibly more experimental projects is in line with what some other publisher's have been doing with their more successful developers.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wh...eveloper-irrational-games-means/1100-6417827/

jwmeep · February 20, 2014

The whole announcement just felt disingenuous to be honest. Instead of saying something like "due to unexpected low sales of ____ game we have to scale back", he's saying "I'm making something new, and special, and the only way to do it is to get rid of all of you, and keep about 16 people who actually matter." It just doesn't come across as genuine or sincere. What a horrible way to announce layoffs.

jhwisner · February 20, 2014

jwmeep said:
The whole announcement just felt disingenuous to be honest. Instead of saying something like "due to unexpected low sales of ____ game we have to scale back",

Where are people getting that from?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123971-BioShock-Infinite-Sells-3-7-Million-Units

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-31-bioshock-infinite-sells-over-4-million-copies

Or do you mean poor performance of some other unspecified franchise at Take Two? The publisher did lose money last year overall, though its numbers were far better than the previous year and Bioshock Infinite was one of the bright spots in its year end numbers. Are people maybe conflating that Take Two didn't turn a profit for the year with not turning a profit on that particular game?

JuliusMagnus · February 20, 2014

jhwisner said:
Where are people getting that from?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123971-BioShock-Infinite-Sells-3-7-Million-Units

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-31-bioshock-infinite-sells-over-4-million-copies

Or do you mean poor performance of some other unspecified franchise at Take Two? The publisher did lose money last year overall, though its numbers were far better than the previous year and Bioshock Infinite was one of the bright spots in its year end numbers. Are people maybe conflating that Take Two didn't turn a profit for the year with not turning a profit on that particular game?

Well, there were rumours in The New York Times that Infinite cost 200 million dollars which might or might not have been true. Just spitballing here but 4 million games sold amounts to just under 100 million dollars gross (*60*0.4).

If the 200 million dollars number was true, Infinite should have sold 8 million copies to break even.

Initially I did think Infinite was a commercial success but seeing as a bunch of people just got laid off I can't accept that it's just due to Levine wanting to start fresh (that would be dick move of the year). The New York Times article makes alot more sense now.

DArtagnan · February 20, 2014

I have to say I find it kinda sad how people can be so judgmental based on next to no information.

Levine didn't own Irrational - so he just gets to decide everything that happens to it? Doesn't ring true to me.

As for him being "horrible" - really?

He might be hard to work for - but I think he's been part of some fantastic games, and I think Bioshock Infinite is one of the most powerful experiences you can get when it comes to games driven by narrative.

It's hard to be a visionary pushing the boundaries of storytelling in games without it having a cost.

But I guess people would prefer yet another Call of Duty and a lead developer with no vision.

Nameless one · February 20, 2014

JuliusMagnus said:
If the 200 million dollars number was true, Infinite should have sold 8 million copies to break even.

Levin was asked about this in interview around year ago.He denied it and said that budget was around average for AAA game.

I believe him because first it's game that is around same scale as normal AAA game.
Second original Bioshock sold over million of copies which is ok but not really huge, Levine's game earn money but he was never successful for any publisher to given him budgets similar to GTA or SWTOR.

screeg · February 20, 2014

My takeaway from this: god, what an awful industry to work for. How can anyone over 30 contemplate working 60-100 hour weeks in an industry where every project might be your last? You have to fight and struggle just to get in, and the pay is only middling.

Hindukönig · February 20, 2014

DArtagnan said:
I have to say I find it kinda sad how people can be so judgmental based on next to no information.

Levine didn't own Irrational - so he just gets to decide everything that happens to it? Doesn't ring true to me.

His open letter starts with "I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it." - sound pretty much like he is the one to blame to me.

And I really think it's horrible that he doesn't just start a new company and keeps Irrational and probably more than 150 jobs intact.

joxer · February 20, 2014

Guys please.
With so many DLC sillies bought as each one was a cure for cancer, you really think that the problem was the money?
It's like saying EA won't invest at least a block of millions into Sims 4 because Sims 3 didn't sell enough DLC so Maxis has to start crowdfunding, early access or preorder option at least half a year prior the game release.
:evilgrin:

ChaosTheory · February 20, 2014

screeg said:
My takeaway from this: god, what an awful industry to work for. How can anyone over 30 contemplate working 60-100 hour weeks in an industry where every project might be your last? You have to fight and struggle just to get in, and the pay is only middling.

Duh you get to play gamez!

DArtagnan · February 20, 2014

Hindukönig said:
His open letter starts with "I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it." - sound pretty much like he is the one to blame to me.

Are you seriously suggesting that all letters to the public is the absolute truth?

And I really think it's horrible that he doesn't just start a new company and keeps Irrational and probably more than 150 jobs intact.

Again, he doesn't own it. He doesn't call the shots. Take Two bought Irrational years ago. He's simply a founder - and that's it.

Stingray · February 20, 2014

DArtagnan said:
Again, he doesn't own it. He doesn't call the shots. Take Two bought Irrational years ago. He's simply a founder - and that's it.

Yep. You don't sell your company, THEN decide to shut it down once someone else owns it. The idea that he would have had the final call is laughable. There's probably a lot more to the story than we'll ever hear about.

Nameless one · February 20, 2014

Also it's maybe relevant mentioned that part of team that participated in both bioshock games left before BS:I was finished and made Fullbright studio(that made Gone home).

Zygo · February 20, 2014

Yeah, the letter is a load of PR spin rubbish. Levine will have contractual obligations which would either make him expensive to fire or a non compete clause, and will work out that period. 2k shut down Irrational, Levine simply does not have the power to do so any more.

Greg and Ray could not have shut down Bioware when they left, the head of Instagram or WhatsApp won't be able to shut them down now Facebook owns them. It's being done because Ken Levine shutting it down can be spun, Strauss Zelnick- who almost certainly was the person actually wielding the axe- shutting them down cannot.

Irrational Games - Ken Levine Shuts Studio Down

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