Looks like Rapture may have a second coming. In an analyst conference call, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick revealed the company's plans to turn 2K Boston/2K Australia's BioShock into an ongoing franchise.

Zelnick was addressing an analyst's question on how to avoid watering down a franchise with annual releases but still foster innovative development on a regular basis. The chairman said Take-Two would be roughly on a biennial schedule for game releases if it didn't have to worry about fostering creativity in game design.

"I would say, probably, roughly an every-two-year schedule would be optimal. And if you look historically that has been largely the case with GTA, and I'd expect we'd apply rougly the same strategy to BioShock because BioShock is shaping up to be a very important franchise," Zelnick said in... Read more

Good afternoon everyone, Geedeck here to share with you the winners of the "Big Daddy's Day Off" contest and tell you a bit about some new directions with the Shack. First off, the contest turned out some really great results and apologies for any delay. It's always a real pleasure to do a contest like this and get a large bunch of entries that don't leave us with a simple decision. Our second place winner is ghostdad with Mr. Bubbles risking typecasting and our first place winner is GibMonkey illustrating how even on his day off, Big Daddy can't catch a break. We'll be sending the BioShock 360 faceplate to GibMonkey and the mouse pad to ghostdad.

While not the winners, some other excellent pieces show off Big Daddy's love of Shacking, Gamelon, football, hockey, teatime (twice!), cooking, showering, dancing, a literal depiction, and as interpreted by 1980s Sierra among others.

Second, there are some changes in store for the Shacknews community. It's always been a significant part of the Shack, but previously we haven't been able to give it proper focus. Shacknews wouldn't be what it is without the community, therefore Steve and co. have asked me to join Shacknews as the community manager.

In this position I want to help the readers share the spotlight with other Shack features and more. What this will amount to has yet to be fully decided. We have some notions in mind but would also like to hear your thoughts. You can either drop me an email at jeff@shacknews.com, send me a ShackMessage, or post your thoughts in this article, and we'll go from there.

Update: Shacker sevogajre tells us that clearing the game's cache--accomplished by holding the left and right bumpers from boot until the appearance of the 2K Games logo--solves the stuttering issue in the Xbox 360 version.

Original Story: Like a bathysphere rising out of the depths, details have at long last surfaced on the mysterious BioShock title update that began prompting Xbox Live-connected players earlier this week.

According to publisher 2K Games, the brief download--which must be applied in order to stay signed into Xbox Live--resolves several slight issues. In particular, the update improves general game stability, especially when loading autosaves. It also tweaks the way enemies use health stations and fixes a slight audio glitch during menu loading.

However, it just wouldn't be a proper BioShock news item if it wasn't for the presence of unfortunate, and presumably unintended, technical ... Read more

Recently, posts spread around the internet detailing BioShock's former setting of an isolated tropical island inhabited by genetically experimental Nazis, demonstrating just how much a game can change from initial conception to final product. That's nothing on what the game was about before then, however: a cult deprogrammer hired by the parents of a woman involved in a lesbian relationship to kidnap the daughter and rewrite her brain to steer clear of what her parents perceive as deviant activity.

Update: Ken Levine has contacted Shacknews to clarify that the player in the prior revision of BioShock's story did not necessarily reprogram a lesbian character; such actions are merely examples of the sort of tasks actual deprogrammers are hired to perform in the real world. Irrational's earlier story was more political in nature, with a deprogrammer being hired by a senator.

Original story: BioShock's creative director Ken Levine detailed the bizarre former premise to Shacknews during an extensive interview about BioShock, its world, and its fascinating and deranged denizens. The interview is packed with spoilers, however, so here are his remarks presented in a safe setting:

"There was another story before that about a cult deprogrammer," Levine explained. "I don't know if you know what a cult deprogrammer is... Read more

Have you completed BioShock? Are you still mulling over your time in Rapture, and its insane denizens? Do you ponder its plot points and potential philosophical punditry? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, this is the interview for you.

In what is likely the only interview of its kind, I sat down with Irrational Games (now 2K Boston and 2K Australia) creative director and co-founder Ken Levine for an in-depth interview all about Rapture's considerably fleshed out story and world. Among many other topics, Levine discusses the influence of films such as Fight Club and games from Valve, his thoughts on the Objectivist philosophy at the root of Andrew Ryan's city, the conception of the game's memorable "boss" characters, the factors that contributed to Rapture's decline, and much, much more. Plus, lesbian cult deprogrammers!

But be warned: this interview is chock full of spoilers. If you haven't completed the game or do not wish to read revealing information, steer clear. Otherwise, continue, dear reader. First, a non-spoiling teaser:

Shack: Do you think you gave Objectivism short shrift at all?

Ken Levine: I'm fascinated by Objectivism. I think I gave it--I think the problem with any philosophy is that it's up to people to carry it out. It could have been Objectivism, it could have been anything. It's about what happens when ideals meet reality. If you had to sum up BioShock's story, that's what it is.

When philosophers write books, when they write fictional works like Atlas Shrugged, they put paragons in the books to carry out their ideals. I always wanted to tell a story of, what if a guy wasn't a paragon? What if his intentions were really good, but at the end of the day he was human? ...Read the rest

Q&A: Levine surfs BioShock's wake on GameSpot offers an interview with Ken Levine, the founder of Irrational Games 2K Boston. Levine is asked about the various BioShock launch nightmares.

As discussed in the ShackCast, we are holding a contest allowing you to win a BioShock Xbox 360 faceplate or mousepad, along with other swag obtained from 2K's launch party.

We want your best Microsoft Paint rendition of a Big Daddy. What's he doing when he's not bringing the pain to Rapture interlopers? Doing his laundry? Does he have a day job? Show us, but please stick to Paint or a similarly rudimentary piece of software. Enter as many times as you like!

Submit your entry by posting a URL in this thread. Hosts include Shackspace if you've got it (33% off Mercury!), Flickr, Photobucket, ImageShack (no relation), TinyPic, and so on. Get your entries in by Monday, 2:00pm CST.

The winner will receive a BioShock syringe pen, light-up drink mixer, medium t-shirt (sorry, big or very little readers), and his or her choice of a BioShock Xbox 360 faceplate or mousepad. The runner-up will receive a t-shirt and whichever item the winner did not choose. Those faceplates are big bucks on eBay!

Continuing this morning's progress towards resolving Aspect Ratiogate 07 and DRMgate 07, BioShock creative director Ken Levine has informed Joystiq that the game's oft-criticized SecuROM copyright protection will eventually be removed.

"At some point we'll move back from online activation," Levine stated. "If people want to play BioShock ten years from now, they'll be able to play it." Based on his wording, it's presumed that SecuROM activation will be disabled when retail sales of the game are no longer a pressing factor.

Levine then ended the brewing Betrayaltongate 07 scandal, conclusively vowing that there is no PlayStation 3 version of the Xbox 360 and PC game. "I promise you, there is no secret plan about the PS3 that we're keeping from people," he said. "There's no PS3 development going on that we're hiding."

As for the PS3 mention in one of the demo's configuration files? ... Read more

Need something to listen to as you wade through more BioShock news? 2K Games community manager Elizabeth Tobey alerts us that Garry Schyman's BioShock orchestral score is now available as a free download.

The 12-track compilation can be harvested on the Cult of Rapture website. Give it a listen, and let the sounds of Rapture slowly wash away the pain of SecuROM.

With a swathe of announcements sure to send shockwaves reverberating throughout the BioShock internet community, publisher 2K Games has replaced BioShock's initial limit of two simultaneous PC installations with what community manager Elizabeth Tobey calls a "5 by 5 plan."

Under the new terms, users will be able to install the game on up to five computers, with the ability to reinstall the game on each computer up to five times. 2K will release a "revoke app" that should address issues resulting from the original limitations.

In a stunning reversal, 2K also announced plans to release a patch allowing PC users to adjust the game's FOV despite claiming the existing widescreen implementation was by design, as documented in our coverage of Aspect Ratiogate 07. An Xbox 360 patch is under consideration as well.

Prior to today's announcement, resourceful gamer Racer_S took matters into his own hands, applying a digital brand of widescreen vigilante... Read more

In a story that has truly swept the nation, 2K Boston and Australia's BioShock release woes continue. The newest complaint stems from the PC version of BioShock, which uses SecuROM copyright protection, preventing users from installing the game more than two consecutive times.

Responding to the concerns, steadfast 2K Games community manager and soon-to-be mental patient Elizabeth Tobey explained the issue in a thread on the 2K Games forum.

"You can uninstall and reinstall this game, and if, by chance, you have 2 computers you want to simultaneously play this game on, you... Read more

On the eve of BioShock's release, I sat down with creative director and Irrational Games co-founder Ken Levine, the formidable mind behind not only BioShock but classics such as System Shock 2 and Thief. I spoke with Levine about the massive internet hysteria over BioShock, challenges and arguable missteps in development, how his role has changed, exhibiting creative freedom in development, how to sneak philosophy into action games, and more.

Come back next week for the second part of this epic interview--but be sure to complete the game first. In the followup, Ken and I delve deep into the plot points and themes of BioShock for an in-depth discussion about the world of Rapture, its philosophies, and its unforgettable heroes and villains.

Ken Levine: One thing I realized while making BioShock was that we had a lot of arguments about what people liked in System Shock 2. In reality, I think the fact that the world is so interesting, and the kind of interactions you can have--more than any specific gameplay, it's the fact that you're in this world that's very unique, and you can interact with that world on many levels, is what makes it fascinating. It's not this stat system or that stat system. Make an interesting world, and let people interact with it in unprecedented ways.
...
I just want to push forward in the context of what you can do within an action game. Our goal was always to be shooting and telling stories at the same time, and that was a goal with BioShock. We wanted to have our cake and eat it too.
Read the rest...

In the continuation of a shockingly divisive story of many aspects and epic proportions, 2K Games has responded to allegations that BioShock's widescreen view is flawed, asserting that the various display modes are showing nothing but what was intended by the developers.

"We went through dozens of iterations and finally settled upon a widescreen aspect ratio that best suited the gameplay experience," said 2K community manager Elizabeth Tobey in response to the scandal. "Once this FOV was established, we chose to keep exactly the same horizontal FOV for standard def displays, so as not to in any way alter the gameplay experience.

"Instead of cropping the FOV for 4:3 displays and making all 4:3 owners mad in doing so," she continued, "we slightly extended the vertical FOV... Read more

In a rapidly-expanding thread on the 2K Games forum, reports are coming in that 2K Boston and Australia's just-released shooter BioShock (PC, X360) uses a cropping method for its widescreen display, cutting down on the vertical view rather than expanding the horizontal width (illustrated left). The problem apparently exists for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions, and cannot be fixed with an edit of the game's FOV (field of view) setting.

The issue took forum goers by surprise, as 2K Boston lead programmer Chris Kline assured fans last May that BioShock's widescreen view would show more, rather than less.

"The game will render in full 16:9 aspect ratio, with no letterboxing unless your resolution is not true 16:9," Kline said in a thread on the 2K forums. "You will see more in widescreen. We use a different projection matrix; there is no squashing or stretching of the image involved."

Shacknews can confirm that the problem exists in the PC demo of BioShock, and has contacted 2K Games for comment.

The BioShock PC demo is now available for download on FileShack. Here is your thread to anticipate things and things. Firstly, it's been made very clear that you are going to need the latest NVidia or ATI drivers for your videocard. So here are the links that you will need :

• NVidia BioShock Drivers
• ATI BioShock Drivers (Click BioShock)
• FileShack BioShock PC Demo

With the help of Limelight Networks we will be pushing some pretty massive bandwidth for Mercury members for the demo. Feel free to grab a download accelerator if you are a Mercury member. The Quicksilver servers support them and the BioShock demo will be available there.

2K Games has confirmed that the PC demo of Irrational's 2K Boston and Australia's BioShock will be released for download Monday evening around 7pm EST. The company was sure to note that new ATI and Nvidia video card drivers will be released the same day, and should be installed for best performance.

The BioShock demo will be of an impressive 1.84GB in girth that you will be able to eagerly gulp down at FileShack. The demo will also be available on the new FileShack Quicksilver system for Mercury members with support for download accelerators with multiple connections.

In a following update on the company's Cult of Rapture website, BioShock creative lead Ken Levine warned users away from potentially spoiler-filled forum posts and implored users not to post spoilers themselves.

"Please don't ruin other people's experience by revealing secrets in unmarked threads, and if you want to enjoy the game to its fullest, stay away from any threads that might ruin the fun for you," wrote Levine. "With a game like BioShock, it will really make a difference.

Look for a new Shacknews interview with Levine in the coming days.

If anyone had doubts about the studio formerly known as Irrational Games' underwater shooter adventure, put them to rest. BioShock kills. I played all the way through the Xbox 360 version so I could tell you why. Unless you've managed to acquire the game from an unscrupulous or uninformed retailer, it doesn't come out until next Tuesday--but our review is out now. Read it.

Seemingly innocent young girls, the Little Sisters, walk though the darkened corridors of Rapture, chaperoned hand-in-hand by hulking grotesques, the Big Daddies--monstrosities in hissing, mechanical diving suits, with an over-sized drill where an arm should be. You buy genetic enhancements, Plasmids, with ADAM, an organic currency extracted from the dead by the innocent Sisters. You use EVE to fuel your Plasmid-enhanced powers. After your first injection of Plasmids--your first taste of the fruit of this rotting garden--there's no going back. Read the rest...

Update 3: The BioShock PC demo will be at FileShack on Monday August 19th at 7pm EST as detailed here.

Update 2: As the demo-induced BioShock frenzy continues, 2K community manager Elizabeth Tobey has announced the release of a free downloadable BioShock art book. The PDF-format book is print-ready.

Update: 2K Games has announced that the PC demo of BioShock is "in its final stages of testing and approval," and is planned to be released this month. The company did not definitively announce whether the demo will be released before the game's August 21 release date, but an announcement is expected soon.

Original story: Following the announcement that a BioShock-related announcement would be announced tonight on SpikeTV, journo Geoff Keighley announced availability of an Xbox 360 demo now downloadable via Xbox Live. Publisher 2K Games followed the announcement with its own announcement on The Cult of Rapture, the company's site dedicated to the game. ... Read more

Irrational Games, the acclaimed developer behind PC classic System Shock 2 as well as nearly-released SS2 "spiritual successor" BioShock (PC, X360), is no longer known as Irrational Games. The formerly independent studio, whose two branches were acquired by Take-Two Interactive last year under the 2K Games label, are now known as 2K Boston and 2K Australia.

Take-Two claims change will result in no loss of creative control for the companies. "We're proud to be part of the 2K Games family and enjoy the new opportunities and artistic freedoms this strengthened relationship provides," said Irrational president Ken Levine in a statement. "The name change signifies our growing position as a central part of 2K Games, and we plan to ensure our future titles continue to set new standards of quality and innovation for the industry." 2K and Irrational 2K representatives were unavailable for comment.

In a separate announcement, Take-Two announced BioShock has gone gold. The game will be available for PC and Xbox 360 in North America on August 21 and in Europe on August 24.

The Cult of Rapture page on the 2K Games website has a new podcast on the game, this time covering Plasmids.