BioShock 2 delayed to 'first half' of 2010 [update]
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Jul 13th 2009 at 4:30PM } 
Perhaps the late addition of yet another developer to BioShock 2 should have acted as an early indicator of the delay. Take-Two's Chairman Strauss Zelnick publicly apologized about the setback in a press release: "We recognize that our revised outlook for the balance of fiscal year 2009, due to both internal and external factors, is a disappointment. That said, we concluded that moving the release of BioShock 2 into fiscal year 2010 was the right decision for the product."
Take-Two's investors are unlikely to respond to this news positively, considering the company's sparse presence this holiday season. With Take-Two's most anticipated titles -- Mafia II, Max Payne 3 and now BioShock 2 -- all appearing in fiscal 2010, the company will have little to rely on to bolster its current year results. Zelnick reiterated that "we remain confident in the long term potential for Take-Two's business, and our ability to capitalize on that potential through our exceptional creative talent and solid balance sheet."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Jack_Jackington @ Jul 13th 2009 4:32PM
i knew it would
Victoryismine @ Jul 13th 2009 7:15PM
Extreamly wise move buy Take two. To be honest with all of the AAA titles this holiday season Bioshock 2 doesn't make my list of games to buy but if they release Q1 or Q2 of next year during a low point for game releases then I'll pick it up.
Rgz175 @ Jul 14th 2009 12:04PM
@victoryismine
Bioshock doesnt make it to your list to buy???? WTF..
I'm sure its on the top of most gamers' lists incl mine.
Victoryismine @ Jul 14th 2009 12:56PM
Don't get me wrong I loved the first game and I'll buy the second but if it was released in November of this year I don't think I would pick it up for a few months because I'm pretty much booked solid game wise this holiday. I already preordered Assasins Creed 2, Left 4 Dead, and Uncharted 2 so I'm not sure I'll have time for another game and even If I did I might end up getting Heavy Rain (something new for once) or MW2 (Only cause my brother-in-law) before Bioshock 2. All I'm saying is that with so many good games being released I think that a game like Bioshock could clean up if they released during a low point in gaming as opposed to when the market is flooded.
Dale @ Jul 14th 2009 6:16PM
Yes because we all know that Take Two plan all of their releases around victoryismine's games shopping list for the quarter
Mana37 @ Jul 13th 2009 4:33PM
Gangway, Modern Warfare 2!!!!!
FNG @ Jul 13th 2009 4:50PM
MW2 has at least 6 months set aside for me. 11-10-09 is the end of sleep for me. and that's saying something as my wife and I just had our second child...
Jinsenken @ Jul 13th 2009 5:03PM
MW2 GOTY 2009 confirmed.
Ashitaka @ Jul 13th 2009 5:18PM
@ Jinsenken
Only if by MW you meant Uncharted :P
Hashbrown Hunter (OneGiantCluster.blogspot.com) @ Jul 13th 2009 5:27PM
@FNG
No offense, but you're parenting skills are a just a bit questionable :P
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Jul 13th 2009 7:39PM
Oh Hai dere and cowabunga. There are now 3 of us with turtle avatars. We need one more.
Jrod @ Jul 13th 2009 4:34PM
It shouldn't be delayed,it should canceled. There's no creative reason for this to exist. This and Dead Rising smell like a pure cash grab.
AvA (ice~) @ Jul 13th 2009 4:34PM
and you smell like a pure troll
Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 13th 2009 4:35PM
Get the fuck outta here.
samik @ Jul 13th 2009 4:38PM
He may have a point you know
Crazy-008 @ Jul 13th 2009 4:40PM
I kind of agree... I played the game and at some point i felt like i was just playing it to finish it... not playing it for the enjoyment anymore.... imho, but i am not looking forward to the sequel. Who knows maybe it will surprise me. (hopefully!)
Jrod @ Jul 13th 2009 4:41PM
I'm not trolling. There are games that,to me,told a great story from start to finish and didn't need a sequel in my eyes. Condemned,Bioshock,and Dead Rising all fit in this category to me.
You remember the Matrix? Just because you can get a sequel out of something doesn't mean you should.
copa @ Jul 13th 2009 4:51PM
I agree with Jrod. Ken Levine is gone from the project. They have a bunch of different studios working on it. There is tacked on multiplayer in a game that is not MP-oriented. The Bioshock story felt very complete, and not conducive to a sequel.
I have not yet seen one single design idea on this game that makes me say, "There is something new, interesting, and necessary." It feels like a jambalaya of cookie-cutter game concepts being awkwardly crammed onto the original.
I don't see any guiding vision for why they are making this game, except to cash in on the original.
MystileArmor @ Jul 13th 2009 5:06PM
..and just because they make a sequal doesn't mean you have to buy it.
If you don't want to see a sequal, pretend it never happened, what's the big deal?
Jrod @ Jul 13th 2009 5:08PM
"If you don't want to see a sequal, pretend it never happened, what's the big deal?"
Integrity?
ilovethewaggle @ Jul 13th 2009 5:18PM
Jrod, integrity? In today's society?...hardly.
MystileArmor @ Jul 13th 2009 5:19PM
We're talking about a video game here. Integrity my ass. Just don't buy it. It's their property, they can do with it whatever the fuck they feel like. If they want to make Bioshock Party Petz they could do it, and if you don't like it just don't buy it.
Integrity.. HAH!.
Lacking integrity is fucking your best friends chick in the ass and flat out lying about it to him in his face.
Did Nintendo lack integrity when they released Super Mario Bros. 2? The story was finished wasn't it? Bowser defeated, Princess rescued.
OMGOMG @ Jul 13th 2009 5:22PM
As you can tell by my avatar, I'm an avid fan of Bioshock. It's probably one of my favorite games of all time. When I heard of a sequel, I was extremely excited. The gameplay videos looked great, and the story sounded intriguing.
Today, I'm extremely worried about the game. As soon as they announced multiplayer, sirens went off in my head. Look at The Darkness, Prey, and Condemned 2.
All were great story driven FPS's that didn't need tacked on multiplayer. We've already got Halo, CoD, Battlefield, Killzone, and Resistance. All did multiplayer that will play much better than Bioshock 2
Now, with the multiple studios now working on the game, I have moved this down from a must buy to Gamefly rental. And that makes me sad.
bioadam @ Jul 13th 2009 5:22PM
Pushing a giant drill through mutants is reason enough for Bioshock 2. The original had some great quotes about cleaning toilets, but it also had a pipe wrench that could freeze mutants solid.
Jrod @ Jul 13th 2009 5:31PM
MystileArmor,
If I could roll my eyes any harder,i'd look like the Undertaker from the WWE. I just face palmed through my skull into the 5th dimension.
MystileArmor @ Jul 13th 2009 5:35PM
Well, I have no fucking clue what he looks like, but knowing you're into WWE puts things into perspective. Grown man in underwear rolling around.
The Dark Wayne @ Jul 13th 2009 5:36PM
what's wrong with that mystile?!
The Dark Wayne @ Jul 13th 2009 5:38PM
also i agree with Jrod, except for Dead Rising, because you were totally playing that for the zombie killing, not the metaphor for american meat consumption. But i dont think you can pretend that it doesnt exist. The Star Wars prequels might have sucked, but they're still canon and still suck
Jrod @ Jul 13th 2009 5:41PM
MystileArmor ,
I watch pro wresting and think "I wonder who will win?". You watch it and see 2 guys in underwear rolling around and grabbing each other.
Puts things into perspective indeed.
Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 13th 2009 5:41PM
"Condemned"
You are full of it.
The only problem with Condemned 2 other than the Project Indigo syndrome was the lack of people playing it,it was actually fun online.Bum rush was very fun and unique too.
Also C'mon Dead Rising ends in a cliffhanger,sorta.
I agree on Bioshock,it was great and it didn't need a sequel.
Jrod @ Jul 13th 2009 5:46PM
Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) ,
I'm not saying that the game's sequels suck (I wouldnt know,I refuse to play the second one). The first game told an entirely fleshed out story with a creepy ending. Same as Dead Rising. So what if it ends on a cliffhanger? Do you need every ending wrapped up with a bow tie and handed to you? The movie "The Thing" was absolutely fantastic and there was no need for "The Thing 2". A cliff hanger doesn't warrant an entire sequel when the original story was so good and a full experience.
MystileArmor @ Jul 13th 2009 5:52PM
See that's where your wrong. I don't watch it, period.
Saria the Cat @ Jul 13th 2009 5:54PM
I'm with MystileArmor here. If a sequel upsets you, don't buy it. As for accusing Take-Two of making a cash grab and having no integrity, that's a bit much, especially since you have no idea about the quality of the future product.
You can also look at it this way. If you really loved BioShock and you really want to see more original masterpieces like it being made by Take-Two, then you should be happy about BioShock 2, because it will undoubtedly offer financial backing to those future ventures.
And while there are many examples of sequels sucking more than their awesome originals, there's also examples of sequels being better or as good. You can't knock it just because YOU don't want a sequel. You're not the only gamer on the planet. A lot of rabid BioShock fans DO want a sequel.
John Perkins @ Jul 13th 2009 6:20PM
This game is a cash grab, but I think it's unfair to categorize Dead Rising 2 in that same vein. Dead Rising 2 is in a completely different city, telling a similar story. And there were issues with that game that, if fixed, could really make a sequel worthy.
BioShock was a near perfect game experience. Everything about this sequel sounds hackneyed, with a bit of superfluous multiplayer thrown in for good measure. From what I've seen and read it looks to be inferior to the very popular original in every possible way, which does confirm the idea that it's a cash grab.
Dead Rising sold pretty well, but not so well that any old crappy sequel will automatically be profitable like BioShock 2 will be.
Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 13th 2009 6:43PM
I understand your point some games don't need sequels and with less sequels studios can work on more fresh ideas then again the game industry is also part of the entertainment industry and money talks.
In the case of Condemned I feel they pretty much screwed Condemned plot with 2 but then again 2 is a better game and the story is unique but losely based on the first game,in matter of fact I wonder why it isn't is own game.I played both games and I believe 2 is better the first one wasn't really scary,some people say the ending when Serial Killer X chases you is the scary part,too bad is actually the other way! (At least for me,maybe I was doing it wrong or I have balls of steel I was th eone chasing serial killer x) the bad ending was cool though.
Dead Rising needed a sequel at least in the technical aspect and I rather have another Dead rising sandbox game than another Resident Evil game like 5.I blame Resident Evil 4 for 5,a lot of people thought Resident Evil was a good franchise after 4,silly people resident evil was never good,it was fun but not for the right reasons.
Markez @ Jul 13th 2009 4:35PM
It has to be retooled because it's being 're-set' to be in Brazil.
Markez @ Jul 13th 2009 4:36PM
Big Daddy in a greasy wifebeater and all
Mana37 @ Jul 13th 2009 4:38PM
I have no idea what you said but it's hilarious coming from that pic!
FraGNeM @ Jul 13th 2009 4:41PM
As long as it still has Bullet-time...
wait, what game were we talking about again?
theMediaman @ Jul 13th 2009 4:54PM
I heard they were delaying so they could add in Duke Nukem
Hydrophobicfish @ Jul 13th 2009 5:05PM
Mana, it's a reference to Max Payne 3... Why, I'm not sure, but that's what it is.
MystileArmor @ Jul 13th 2009 5:12PM
Big Daddy in Brazil. I loved that movie, one of my favourite porn movi...
Oh? .. oh yeah Bioshock 2.. that's what I meant.
SpaceGhostFlyer @ Jul 13th 2009 4:36PM
FUCK
Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 13th 2009 4:36PM
I knew it. It's kind of a good thing though. Gives me more time to play CODMW2, AS2, SCC, ME2....sigh.....what else? See what I mean?
Crazy-008 @ Jul 13th 2009 4:51PM
My brain is shut off its monday... what do u mean AS2, SCC, ME2....
Luke @ Jul 13th 2009 5:00PM
Not sure about AS2, but ME2 is Mass Effect 2, and SCC is Splinter Cell: Conviction.
Maybe he meant Assassin's Creed 2?
Mr Khan @ Jul 13th 2009 5:04PM
Actually puts it into more direct conflict with ME2, doesn't it? ME2 is Q1 2010, right?
Though that would still be before the start of the fiscal year
Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 13th 2009 6:37PM
I did mean Assassin's Creed 2. And as far as Mass Effect 2 goes, yeah it puts it into contention with ME2, but if I have to choose between Bioshock and Mass Effect, I choose Mass Effect. All the fucking way.
dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jul 13th 2009 4:37PM
And that's the sound of my wallet breathing a sigh of relief.
Robert @ Jul 13th 2009 7:40PM
Seriously... this was one of three games I had pre-ordered including COD4MW2 and Uncharted 2. I really wanted to pick up MAG as well, but couldn't afford it with the others. Now that Bioshock 2 could have another half year of development, I'll just switch my pre-order to MAG. Besides, I always like playing single player, story-heavy games in the summer when Its too warm to sleep at night. This whole situation is a win-win for me. Here's hoping they can fix the bugs and add enough detail to the undersea paradise with the extra time.