Irrational Games
Encyclopedia
Irrational Games is a video game developer
founded in 1997 by three former employees of Looking Glass Studios
: Ken Levine, Jonathan Chey, and Robert Fermier as Irrational Games. On January 9, 2006, Take-Two Interactive
announced that they had purchased Irrational, and would publish their games under the 2K Games
label.
At its largest point Irrational had two studios, one in Quincy, Massachusetts
, USA
just outside Boston
, Massachusetts
and the other in Canberra
, Australia
.
A third studio, 2K Marin
, was split off from 2K Boston in 2007, with five former Irrational Games employees leaving to join the new company. 2K Marin worked with 2K Australia on BioShock 2
.
The Canberra studio ("2K Australia") separated from the Boston studio at some point after 2007, and merged with 2K Marin in 2010.
In late July 2010, several media outlets reported that a recently created website
, whatisicarus.com, was a promotion relating to Irrational Games' unannounced project. The following week, information about the game was again teased, with the trailer confirmed for release on August 12, 2010. It turned out to be BioShock Infinite
.
Shortly after BioShock was released, rumors arose that many of the staff who had worked on the game were leaving 2K Boston/Australia. In 2007, five members of the 2K Boston team moved to a new 2K Games studio in Novato, California
. Soon after, 2K Games announced the formation of 2K Marin
in Novato.
Despite rumors that an unannounced project was an X-COM
title, it has been confirmed that Irrational Games is working on BioShock Infinite
. 2K Marin
is working on XCOM
.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
founded in 1997 by three former employees of Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
: Ken Levine, Jonathan Chey, and Robert Fermier as Irrational Games. On January 9, 2006, Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
announced that they had purchased Irrational, and would publish their games under the 2K Games
2K Games
2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...
label.
At its largest point Irrational had two studios, one in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
just outside Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and the other in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
A third studio, 2K Marin
2K Marin
2K Marin is an American and Australian video game developer based in Novato, California and Canberra, Australia. The studio's main focus according to press releases is to develop new intellectual property and co-develop products with other 2K studios....
, was split off from 2K Boston in 2007, with five former Irrational Games employees leaving to join the new company. 2K Marin worked with 2K Australia on BioShock 2
BioShock 2
BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The sequel to the 2007 video game BioShock, it was released worldwide on February 9, 2010....
.
The Canberra studio ("2K Australia") separated from the Boston studio at some point after 2007, and merged with 2K Marin in 2010.
In late July 2010, several media outlets reported that a recently created website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, whatisicarus.com, was a promotion relating to Irrational Games' unannounced project. The following week, information about the game was again teased, with the trailer confirmed for release on August 12, 2010. It turned out to be BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite is an upcoming first-person shooter video game, and the third game in the BioShock series. Previously known as "Project Icarus", it is being developed by Irrational Games for a 2012 release on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms...
.
History
- 1997 – Boston studio formed by former Looking Glass StudiosLooking Glass StudiosLooking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
employees Ken Levine, Jonathan Chey, and Robert Fermier. - 1999 – System Shock 2System Shock 2System Shock 2 is a 1999 first-person action role-playing video game, designed by Ken Levine for Microsoft Windows. The title is a sequel to the 1994 PC game System Shock, and was co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios...
released to critical acclaim. - 2000 – Irrational Canberra opens, with Jonathan Chey taking the helm. Deep Cover is cancelled.
- 2002 – Legal issues with publisher Crave EntertainmentCrave EntertainmentCrave Entertainment is an American video game company. It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi. Its headquarters is in Newport Beach, California...
result in the development of The LostThe Lost (video game)The Lost is an unreleased third-person shooter/survival horror game co-developed by Irrational Games and FXLabs. Set to be released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles, The Lost went through several phases of development hell until it was completed, and cancelled.-Story:The Lost...
being halted. - 2004 – Irrational designers Ed Orman and Dean Tate awarded "Best Design" in the Australian Game Developer Awards, as well as the studio receiving "Best Game of 2004" and "Best PC Game".
- 2005 – Irrational's Boston studio moves to larger office space in Quincy, MassachusettsQuincy, MassachusettsQuincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. The studio retains the "Irrational Games Boston" title. - 2006 – Irrational is acquired by Take-Two InteractiveTake-Two InteractiveTake-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
, under the 2K Games2K Games2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...
publishing arm. - 2007 – Irrational Games is renamed to 2K Boston and 2K Australia on August 10. BioShockBioshockBioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
released August 21 to wide critical acclaim and strong sales. - 2010 - 2K Boston announces its return to its original name, "Irrational Games" on January 8. 2K Australia merges with 2K Marin and announces XCOMXCOMXCOM is an upcoming first-person shooter video game in development by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game is a reboot of the X-COM video game series originally created by Microprose.-Story:...
on April 14.
Shortly after BioShock was released, rumors arose that many of the staff who had worked on the game were leaving 2K Boston/Australia. In 2007, five members of the 2K Boston team moved to a new 2K Games studio in Novato, California
Novato, California
Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...
. Soon after, 2K Games announced the formation of 2K Marin
2K Marin
2K Marin is an American and Australian video game developer based in Novato, California and Canberra, Australia. The studio's main focus according to press releases is to develop new intellectual property and co-develop products with other 2K studios....
in Novato.
Games
- System Shock 2System Shock 2System Shock 2 is a 1999 first-person action role-playing video game, designed by Ken Levine for Microsoft Windows. The title is a sequel to the 1994 PC game System Shock, and was co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios...
, with assistance from Looking Glass. - Deep Cover, with assistance from Looking Glass (unreleased)
- The LostThe Lost (video game)The Lost is an unreleased third-person shooter/survival horror game co-developed by Irrational Games and FXLabs. Set to be released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles, The Lost went through several phases of development hell until it was completed, and cancelled.-Story:The Lost...
(cancelled after being co-developed with FXLabs Studios) - Freedom ForceFreedom Force (2002 video game)Freedom Force is a real-time tactical role-playing game developed by Irrational Games and published by Electronic Arts and Crave Entertainment in 2002. The player guides a team of superheroes as they defend Patriot City from a variety of villains, monsters, and other menaces. A sequel, Freedom...
- Tribes: VengeanceTribes: VengeanceTribes: Vengeance is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game of the Tribes video game series. It was developed by Irrational Games and released by Sierra Entertainment in October 2004...
- Freedom Force vs The 3rd Reich
- SWAT 4SWAT 4SWAT 4 is a tactical first-person shooter computer game developed by Irrational Games and published by Vivendi Universal Games on April 5, 2005. It was built on Irrational Games's Vengeance engine powered by Unreal Engine 2.0 technology...
- SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate
- BioShockBioshockBioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
(as 2K Boston/2K Australia) - BioShock 2BioShock 2BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The sequel to the 2007 video game BioShock, it was released worldwide on February 9, 2010....
(Provided character and environment art assets) - BioShock InfiniteBioShock InfiniteBioShock Infinite is an upcoming first-person shooter video game, and the third game in the BioShock series. Previously known as "Project Icarus", it is being developed by Irrational Games for a 2012 release on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms...
- BioShock Vita
Despite rumors that an unannounced project was an X-COM
X-COM
X-COM is a series of strategy games created by Julian Gollop. In 2010 2K Marin announced the official reboot of the series, entitled simply XCOM. The original game has a cult following.- Original series :...
title, it has been confirmed that Irrational Games is working on BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite is an upcoming first-person shooter video game, and the third game in the BioShock series. Previously known as "Project Icarus", it is being developed by Irrational Games for a 2012 release on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms...
. 2K Marin
2K Marin
2K Marin is an American and Australian video game developer based in Novato, California and Canberra, Australia. The studio's main focus according to press releases is to develop new intellectual property and co-develop products with other 2K studios....
is working on XCOM
XCOM
XCOM is an upcoming first-person shooter video game in development by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game is a reboot of the X-COM video game series originally created by Microprose.-Story:...
.
External links
- Irrational Games (US)
- Irrational Games (AU)
- 2K Boston (Quincy, Massachusetts)
- 2K Australia (Canberra, ACT)
- Irrational Games profile on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...