An unlikely pair bonded mostly by critical acclaim and a mutual publisher, 2K Boston and Australia's narrative-driven shooter BioShock will soon be sold in a bundle alongside the standard edition of Bethesda's open-world fantasy RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Publisher 2K Games announced the package today, boasting that the games have a "combined bounty of more than 80 Game of the Year awards."

The "BioShock & The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Bundle" arrives at North American retailers on July 7, with the Xbox 360 edition going for $39.99 and the PC release at $29.99.

BioShock is set to expand into literary realms this fall with a novel published by sci-fi and fantasy publisher Tor Books, according to a book catalogue received by Gamasutra.

An included sample page is credited to BioShock writer and creative director Ken Levine, but Gamasutra speculates this might credit concepts not authorship. All that's certain is that the novel will run 400 pages and be available in hardcover and paperback.

Tor Books has previously published novels based upon a variety of video games including Halo, Dragon Age and Perfect Dark, often writen by developers themselves.

The novel's fall launch window happily coincidences with BioShock 2's release date of November 3--announced yesterday--on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The film adaptation of 2K Boston and Australia's BioShock (PC, PS3, 360) has been put in a "holding pattern" over budget concerns, director Gore Verbinski informed Variety.

"We were asked by Universal to move the film outside the U.S. to take advantage of a tax credit," the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy director explained. "We are evaluating whether this is something we want to do...the film is in a holding pattern."

Universal, which has been funding the project, was adamant that it will actually see release. "No plug has been pulled on BioShock," it told Kotaku. "Universal remains committed to making the project and Gore absolutely remains attached... Read more

Pirates of the Caribbean series director Gore Verbinski has decided not to helm the fourth franchise sequel, leaving his schedule open to take on the planned film adaptation of 2K Boston/Australia's BioShock.

"I had a fantastic time bringing 'Pirates' to life, and I am eternally grateful to Jerry, Johnny and the rest of the creative and production team," said Verbinski in a statement. "I'm looking forward to all of us crossing paths again in the future."

According to a trade article carried by Latino Review, Universal Pictures' BioShock movie is on target to begin production in 2010.

John Logan (The Aviator, Star Trek: Nemesis) is set to pen the screenplay for BioShock, while Verbinski will likely direct. BioShock creator Ken Levine is apparently being "regularly consulted" during pre-production.

2K Games community manager Elizabeth Tobey today revealed an impressive special edition of the BioShock art book, now available for preorder on the Take-Two store.

Titled "Breaking the Mold: Developer's Edition," the book offers 174 pages of concept art and developer commentary on the making of the acclaimed shooter. Take a look at a few excerpts from the redesigned tome below.

Preorders will run over the next three weeks. The big book costs $24.99.

Following the creation of his excellent Portal gun replica, artist Harrison Krix next tackled the Little Sister ADAM syringe from BioShock, producing a highly detailed version of the DNA-sucking device.

Check out the result below, and visit Krix' site for a look at the step-by-step construction.

2K Game's narrative-driven first-person shooter series BioShock could have up to five sequels, though the company is taking care to ensure it won't "cash in" on the franchise.

"If we spin [BioShock] the right way and get the right twist of innovation, we can make six parts of it, as Star Wars did," 2K president Christoph Hartmann told MCV. "Look at Star Wars. It's a fight between good and evil, just like BioShock."

"But we have to be careful not to cash in," he added. "Because [BioShock] is so story driven, the question obviously arises: how long can you do it without turning into The Matrix? The first Matrix was great, the second one was weird and the third one, you thought: 'Who [making this] is on crack and who isn't?'"

Continuing, the president explained the dangers: "I won't name the company, but there was a great racing game years ago. They brought it back year-on-year. If you look at the scores, it's hard to believe what they've done to it. It's upsetting, actually."

Electronic Arts' Need for Speed series seems to fit Hartmann's description perfectly.

The second entry in the BioShock series, dubbed Sea of Dreams, is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year, between August and October. The sequel is being helmed by 2K Marin, while the original was crafted by 2K Boston and Australia. A feature film is also in the works, and may be accompanied by BioShock 3.

The PlayStation 3-exclusive downloadable content for the narrative-driven shooter BioShock will arrive on November 20 for $9.99, publisher 2K has announced.

That $9.99 download will contain three challenge rooms, said to feature new trophies along with "new locations, objectives and artwork not seen anywhere else in the game."

• A Shocking Turn of Events - A Little Sister is trapped atop a Ferris wheel in an undisclosed location in Rapture. Using only the tools and environment around them, players must use their wits to create electricity to power the Ferris wheel and bring the Little Sister to safety.
• The I in Team - Using limited resources, and an even more... Read more

The "challenge rooms" coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 version of 2K Boston and 2K Australia's BioShock will hit the PlayStation Store on November 20.

A press release from publisher 2K Games confirmed the release date.

The challenge rooms encourage players to solve puzzles while a Portal-esque timer runs in the background. "Challenge rooms retain the flavor of Rapture, but they're not trying to retrofit new story or new levels into the original game," said a 2K representative back when the rooms were announced.

The soon-to-be-patched PS3 edition of BioShock lands next week.

The PlayStation 3 translation of former Xbox 360 exclusive BioShock picked up a few bugs along the way, but they've been ironed out and a patch will reach players after the game's October 21 release.

"I have good news from the dev team about a patch for BioShock PS3!" exclaimed 2K community manager Elizabeth Tobey in a forum post. "They have been working on a patch to address the concerns some of you on the forum have talked about."

The forum users in question were distraught over some visual bugs found in the PlayStation 3 port of 2K Boston and 2K Australia's shooter, which originally launched on the Xbox 360 in August 2007.

"As work is in progress I do not have a definite date for when this patch will be released as it needs to be tested and clear certification with Sony before it is scheduled and released," wrote Tobey. "I do know this will not be until after the game's launch," she added.

The PlayStation 3 edition of BioShock lands next week, but a demo is available now.

A demo for the upcoming PlayStation 3 port of 2K Boston and 2K Australia's shooter BioShock will arrive on October 2.

BioShock community manager Elizabeth Tobey announced today that the demo will reach the PlayStation Network ahead of its October 21 launch at retail.

BioShock--a nominee for Shacknews Game of the Year 2007--originally released on PC and Xbox 360 back in August of 2007. The new PlayStation 3 port was handled by 2K Marin, 2K Boston, 2K Australia and external studio Digital Extremes.

The PlayStation 3 version of 2K Boston and 2K Australia's narrative-driven dystopian shooter BioShock will surface in North American retailers on October 21 and European stores on October 24, publisher 2K Games has confirmed.

"We are proud to introduce 2K Games' showcase title, BioShock, to an entirely new audience," said 2K president Christoph Hartmann. "With the addition of the new Add-On Game Content we are able to extend the award-winning adventure while maintaining the perfect harmony that millions of players around the world have fallen in love with."

Packing downloadable challenge rooms, support for PS3 Trophies, and all of the DLC previously released for the PC and Xbox 360 editions, the PlayStation 3 port was handled by 2K Marin, 2K Boston, 2K Australia and external studio Digital Extremes.

BioShock originally debuted on PC and Xbox 360 in August of 2007. A sequel, due between August and October 2009 is currently in development at 2K Marin for unknown platforms, though PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 releases appear likely.

2K Boston and 2K Australia's narrative-heavy BioShock (PC, PS3, 360) has exposed millions to a new brand of shooter and effectively opened a new market, lead designer Ken Levine believes.

"I can pretty much guarantee to you that if BioShock wasn't successful, there never would have been another game like this," Levine told Eurogamer.

"I don't even know how we convinced people to pay for BioShock. These games had never made any money—everybody told us when we were pitching BioShock, sounds like a great idea, you'll sell 150,000 units—next!"

Levine added that his team aimed to popularize the gameplay emphasized in BioShock, which featured first-person shooting blended with role-playing and customization elements. BioShock predecessor System Shock 2 (PC) employed those elements to a much greater degree, but failed to reach commercial sales expectations.

"How many of these type of games do you think are going to be made now, compared to how many were going to be made before?" Levine asked. "How many... Read more

The PC edition of 2K Boston and 2K Australia's deep sea shooter BioShock (PC, PS3, 360) is now on sale at Valve's digital distribution platform Steam for $14.99.

The sale lasts through Sunday, July 27. The $15 sale price for the critically acclaimed Shacknews 2007 game of the year nominee represents a 50% cut from its current retail price point of $29.99.

The 50% price cut is also enacted for Steam customers in other territories. UK and Australia-based users have reported the game as currently for half off its respective regional price points.

2K Games revealed new details on the exclusive DLC for the PlayStation 3 version of BioShock.

The company has created "challenge rooms" that will challenge players to make use of plasmids and other abilities to overcome undisclosed obstacles.

"Challenge rooms retain the flavor of Rapture, but they're not trying to retrofit new story or new levels into the original game," said a 2K representative to Shacknews. "We're very, very respectful of the original experience."

The DLC will be accessed from the main menu. A Portal-style timer starts at the beginning of each challenge, and the player will be faced with a puzzle.

One example shown off was a carnival-themed level. The player had to compete in carnival games, using plasmid power to throw tennis balls into crates. The player then entered a room with a safe, where a series of trap bolts protected the safe. The player had to use telekensis to move the bolts, then continue to solve another series of mini-puzzles in order to save a Little Sister from a malfunctioning ferris wheel.

Four separate studios are working collectively to bring the narrative-driven underwater shooter BioShock to PlayStation 3, publisher 2K Games has revealed.

Along with 2K Boston and 2K Australia, which originally produced and released the game on PC and Xbox 360 last August, 2K Marin and external studio Digital Extremes are aiding in the port's development.

Formed late last year, 2K Marin is said to be made up of several ex-BioShock staffers and has been tasked with the next BioShock game. Digital Extremes' past efforts include Dark Sector (PS3, 360) and Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)... Read more

Gears of War 2 voice actor Carlos Ferro has claimed that Epic's cover-heavy sequel will be "more emotionally affecting" than 2K's narrative-driven shooter BioShock. Left, Gears of War 2. Right, BioShock.

Ferro lends his voice to Dominic Santiago, the partner of main character Marcus Fenix. During the sequel, Dominic is said to be searching for his long-lost wife while continuing to battle the legions of underground monsters that threaten humanity.

"[Gears of War 2 is] going to be more emotionally affecting than Bioshock," he told Official Xbox Magazine UK, as relayed by Kotaku and Team Xbox. "Beyond it."

Detailing the human tragedies and morally-questionable experiments of a failed underwater utopia, BioShock was released on PC and Xbox 360 last August. A PlayStation 3 version is due in October.

"A lot happens," Ferro teased. The specifics of how the sequel will top BioShock's guilt-inducing Big Daddy battles and option to kill little girls remain unclear, though more information is expected before Gears of War 2 hits Xbox 360 this November.

During a presentation today at Paris GDC, 2K Boston lead programmer Chris Kline said that, after considering the project's many setbacks, his company's successful shooter BioShock (PC, 360) should not have been the hit that it was.

"The very first failure was that we wanted to base this whole thing on System Shock 2," said Kline, according to Gamasutra.

"Here was our idea: Let's just make System Shock 2. This was easy because we'd already made System Shock 2. We knew it was a critical success, and we thought we knew all the things that kept it from being financially successful."

Kline noted that the project would require far more work than a simple iteration of System Shock 2. After a two year halt in development, the team carried over several elements from Shock 2, but found that much of the BioShock's basic systems--including the important monster AI--needed fundamental changes.

In fact, even after the game's intriguing 2006 E3 demo, BioShock wasn't building much interest amongst gamers. It wasn't until the companybegan selling it as... Read more

Update: While 2K Games has removed the install limit from the PC version of BioShock, other forms of copy protection are still present.

"Our other methods of copy protection remain," community manager Elizabeth Tobey elaborated. "You will still have to activate your copy, and you will still need to keep the disc in the drive. SecuROM has not been removed--just the activation limits on number of installs and number of computers you can install BioShock on simultaneously."

Tobey concluded with a promise that, "if we ever stop supporting BioShock [online activation servers], we will release a patch so that the game is still playable."

Original Story: Publisher 2K Games has disabled the installation limit built into the PC edition of 2K Boston and Australia's BioShock, lifting a restriction which allowed users only five simultaneous installations of the deep sea first-person shooter.

Last year, BioShock creator Ken Levine assured gamers that the DRM would be disabled when retail sales of the game were "no longer a factor."

"As promised, all activation restrictions, including install limits, have been removed from BioShock PC as of today. You don't have to patch or install anything for... Read more

The recently announced BioShock film is more likely to release alongside the third entry in the game series than the second, according to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick.

"It's more likely that [the BioShock movie] would be released coincidentally with BioShock 3," Zelnick said in an investors conference call, as reported by Kotaku.

BioShock 2, in development at California-based 2K Marin, is currently planned for a fall 2009 debut for yet unannounced platforms. Take-Two stated that BioShock creator Ken Levine will be involved in the development of the sequel, though his role on the project was not specified.

Zelnick has previously expressed interest in expanding BioShock into a full-fledged franchise, stating in an investor's conference call last year that... Read more