Bioshock... Wii?

[pedrocasilva]

Rumour: Bioshock Coming to Wii?

 

2K Games has already announced Bioshock 2, the sequel to their critically acclaimed RPG/FPS, in a secret trailer packaged with the PS3 version late last year. A recent job listing on Gamasutra announces the developer’s need for a UI (User Interface) Programmer for Bioshock 2. A standard job, for sure. However, not only has 2K Games requested a large number of qualifications for such a typical profession but one line struck us as interesting:

 

Additional Experience and Skills (highly desired):

• Experience developing for next-generation game consoles (PS3, XBOX 360, Wii).

 

Could this be yet another sign that the series, if not the sequel, making its way on to Nintendo’s console? The developer doesn’t have a whole lot on its development plate right now and poor revenues for Take Two Interactive (2K Games’ owner) had earlier encouraged many former exclusives arriving on multiple consoles. Such examples include Grand Theft Auto IV and the first Bioshock.

 

This should purely be taken as a rumour; the developer could just as well be working on a brand new project for the Wii, tweaking one of its greatest titles for the “family-friendly†console. That last point is another misnomer, given the number of mature games arriving on the Wii this year like Platinum Games’ MadWorld and EA Redwood’s Dead Space, along with it’s capability for realistic aiming in first person shooters. Time will tell – these days, however, silence seems to be golden.

Source: http://www.split-screen.com/2009/02/13/rumour-bioshock-coming-to-wii/

 

Note that it is not the first time Take2 Boston seeks people with Wii experience, it happened before back in April 2008:

 

Categories: Art / Animation

Studio Name: 2008-04-01 13:06:48

Experience Required: 5 yrs

Platforms: Playstation 3,Xbox,Wii

Minimum Education Level Required: Bachelor’s Degree

 

Also, EA just announced Dead Space Wii and Take2 is a eternal competitor to them, knowing that it was coming they might have been working on this for quite some time now.

 

Not to mention Kevin Levine (Bioshock director) and other 2kBoston key people are not against the Wii:

 

Ken Levine, Bioshock Director: "I may disappoint some people with this, but the game I’m looking forward to in 2008 is Smash Bros."

source: http://aussie-nintendo.com/?v=news&p=20810

 

We heard so much about the market expanding to focus on the masses last year, but I wouldn’t characterise BioShock or any of the award-winners as a game for the masses.

 

Kevin Levine, Bioshock Director: The way I look at casual games…I think a lot of people view it as a threat.

 

I love playing Peggle. I’ve got Peggle on my iPod and I play it all the time. It’s great. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to go play WOW. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to play Call of Duty.

 

I think, what it is, it’s a nice gateway drug. It makes people understand the principles of gaming.

 

Let’s not kid ourselves. When I grew up playing on Atari - those are the casual games of today. Pac-Man is a casual game, Centipede…All those things would be considered casual games now. Tetris is a casual game. There was no concept of a casual game back then…

 

I think it is a nice gateway drug. I think it is going to strictly expand the market, which doesn’t scare me very much.

 

I think what BioShock did was, we said if we’re going to have a complex game we have to invite the gamer to explore that complexity rather than just throwing it in their face and saying “Deal with it.â€

 

I’ve had a lot of women coming up to me and say “Look, I don’t play shooters. But I saw that beautiful world, I saw that mystery, and I wanted to get in there.†And that’s great.

 

Nothing on the scale of a Wii Sports, but again, Wii Bowling is like the ultimate gateway drug and God bless them for figuring that out because there is no barrier of entry. “Hey, can you go like that?†[swings arm] That’s what you do in bowling, that’s what you do in Wii Sports.

 

It’s not that [casual gaming] scares me. It excites me.

 

Do you really think the Wii will be a new gateway into the industry? Gamers who grew up with the NES moved on to other consoles as they got older, so younger Wii gamers might move on anyway. And it is hard to imagine a grandparent who plays Wii Sports suddenly checking out a first-person shooter…

 

KL: I think there’s a much better chance of people who wouldn’t normally be interested in games going in and thinking “I’m interested in the history of Rome. I’ll buy that strategy game,†whereas before they would have been overwhelmed by the very concept of it.

Source: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/telling-stories

 

 

Do you think the Wii public has an appetite for a BioShock-like game?

 

Chris Kline, Bioshock tech director: I think yeah; I think there is an appetite out there; it's just a matter of finding the right way to bring it to them.

 

It seems like, on the Wii, there's some education necessary for a large part of that demographic, in terms of, like, "Here's why you should want to play this game, instead of Wii Fit."

 

CK: Well, you know, I don't think that those aren't real games. What Nintendo has figured out is that it's all about accessibility, and finding ways to get people to enjoy your game without having to jump through fifty-million hoops, you know?

 

Even me, as a gamer, every time I pick up a new game, I'm like, "Oh my god, they've changed the controller mappings again," and now I've got to, you know, reconfigure my head, just so I can start to enjoy this game. And with something like the Wii? You just pick it up, and it's natural. I don't think there's anything preventing the game complexity of BioShock from being on the Wii.

Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19759

 

Analyst Previsions for 2009: (sometimes they know things we don't)

 

“Rockstar’s fiscal ’09 performance should benefit from continued sales of GTA IV (tracking installed base growth and sales from online content drops), potential GTA extensions (Wii, PS2, PSP, etc.), non-GTA franchise extensions (Midnight Club: Los Angeles – Wii, handhelds, etc. or a new franchise release MC5), LA Noire, and other unannounced content (Max Payne, Red Dead, etc.). Their 2K Games portfolio should benefit from anticipated releases including Mafia 2, Bio Shock (#2 or platform extensions Wii, PS3, etc.) and potentially the release of an unannounced title from their Irrational studio.†- Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7269&Itemid=2

 

Possible NOA pressure:

 

When you look at what other platforms are doing, is there a game that you say, "I wish we had that game. This might be a very interesting game on the Wii."

 

Reggie: Games like BioShock. I thought that was tremendously well done. The writing was tremendously clever. I would love to see more of that type of content in the industry overall that actually makes people think a little bit.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/28/BUM4SSC18.DTL

 

Remember Nintendo went after Take2 for Grand Theft Auto Wii and stuff.

 

Take2 surrendered a while ago:

 

Ben Feder, Take 2 CEO: Even some of the M-rated content that we think is much more appropriate for the HD platforms... we have to look at the Wii as a viable platform, because we can't ignore that install base, we just can't.

Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21581

 

 

So... what's your opinion? I'd say the fact that EA is doing Dead Space Wii effectively pressures Take2 to answer in some form. And knowing Dead Space Wii development didn't start today take2 might have had a response cooking up for some time now.

 

Comments, please.

[Pit-Jr]

It seems like, on the Wii, there's some education necessary for a large part of that demographic, in terms of, like, "Here's why you should want to play this game, instead of Wii Fit."

 

I find that to be hilariously true.

 

 

It does sound like the game could come to the Wii in some form though. It could certainly benefit from the Wii remote. Nice detective work there Pedro

[Nolan]

I think the original blogger is grasping at straws. I don't think that it's for sure not happening, but there's no reason to get in a huff just because they're recruiting devs. Notice I say devs, they didn't specify Wii devs, if they had well speculation galore. But as it stands, they requested Developers of all current home consoles.

[Shino]

I doubt it.They maybe however developing something new for the Wii. That Ken dude seems smart.

[david.dakota]

if bioshock makes it to wii, i.ll dance round my garden naked.

[Hero-of-Time]

if bioshock makes it to wii, i.ll dance round my garden naked.

 

I demand Youtube footage if this happens!

[Gizmo]

So they say that Wii experience is "desirable" in a job listing, and suddenly it means Bioshock is coming to Wii?

 

Wishful thinking methinks.

 

I would find it unusual if they didn't have Wii experience desirable on their job listing. It doesn't have to reference an existing project - they are just future proofing.

 

Not that I'd complain about more Bioshock.

[Retro_Link]

I'd be a bit worried about them bringing Bioshock 1 to the Wii becaue I'm not sure how well it would sell, giving the fact that it sold really well on the 360 and PS3, are there that mnay people out there who woul d be left to buy the game other than the hardcore Wii fans that don't already own the game on another console; and these people are still not definates to pick it up.

 

I wouldn't want them to put a good amount of effort into developing a Wii version and then have it not sell, and then that reflect badly on the Wii.

 

Bioshock 2 would be a better idea perhaps.

 

Take2 surrendered a while ago:

Yeah but that wasn't to the idea of bringing their key franchises [GTA] over to Wii; it was to bringing out very casual games.

[david.dakota]

I demand Youtube footage if this happens!

 

I'm pretty sure that would break Youtube, possibly even the internet.

 

I have an alarming history of public nudeness- next time anyone sees Lindsey online in Animal Crossing, ask her about the evening of snow in at my Mother's house...

[pedrocasilva]

I'm pretty sure that would break Youtube, possibly even the internet.

 

I have an alarming history of public nudeness- next time anyone sees Lindsey online in Animal Crossing, ask her about the evening of snow in at my Mother's house...

No, we will ask you! fess up, from the horse's mouth, that did you do to poor lindsey/snow?

[david.dakota]

No, Lindsey simply watched, as i rolled around in the snow, completely naked. Stark bollock naked.

[pedrocasilva]

No, Lindsey simply watched, as i rolled around in the snow, completely naked. Stark bollock naked.

In the snow? ugh, that must feel cold, is that your way to break the ice with the ladies?

[Shino]

No, Lindsey simply watched, as i rolled around in the snow, completely naked. Stark bollock naked.

 

With all that cold you didn't make a very good impression.

[Guest Maase]

My past self would say: "AHAHAHAHAH, grasping at straws, I see? This is impossible"

 

Now, with the sudden awaken of Hardcore companies starting to go mad over Wii, I wouldn't be surprised.

[Emasher]

My past self would say: "AHAHAHAHAH, grasping at straws, I see? This is impossible"

 

Now, with the sudden awaken of Hardcore companies starting to go mad over Wii, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

I'm thinking the same thing. The only problem though, is most of the articles you pulled up weren't all that recent, so its hard to know what these people are thinking these days. Their ideas may have changed.