Update: Ken Levine Speaks - Gone Home, BioShock Share A Universe

[Josh Engen]

Update: Ken Levine Speaks - Gone Home, BioShock Share A Universe

According to developer Steve Gaynor, Gone Home and BioShock take place in the same universe.

In a recent episode of Tone Control: Conversations with Video Game Developers [https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol], Steve Gaynor of The Fullbright Company spilled the beans on Gone Home's exceedingly creepy tone: it's set in the BioShock universe.

"In a totally non-litigious way," Gaynor says, "we very lightly imply that it also takes place in the same universe as BioShock."

The link isn't entirely obvious, though. In BioShock 2's "Minerva's Den" DLC, a video game called Spitfire is secretly playable. Gone Home, which is set 30 years after the events of BioShock 2, contains a Super Nintendo game called Super Spitfire. And the game's publisher, CMP Interactive, is a reference to Charles Milton Porter, the DLC's protagonist.

Steve Gaynor and Fullbright co-founders Karla Zimonja and Johnnemann Nordhagen were actually a part of the development team on "Minerva's Den," so their interest in the DLC is obvious.

BioShock was the spiritual successor to System Shock, a futuristic franchise which published its last sequel in 1999. So, in theory, BioShock, System Shock, and Gone Home could all be set in the same universe, albeit separated by several decades.

"Again in a totally non-litigious way," Gaynor explains, "we very lightly imply that BioShock takes place in the same universe as System Shock. So, in theory, if you were to make a lot of logical leaps, all of those games have been linked together by our ridiculous retconning."

Source: Polygon [https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol]

Update:

The fact that such a tiny part of Gone Home has been so throughly dissected over the last 24 hours is undoubtedly surprising to Steve Gaynor and the folks at The Fullbright Company. After all, we're only talking about a few easter eggs, not anything that might be meaningful to the game's storyline.

But given the video game industry's nervousness about copyright infringement, I wanted to see if the folks at Irrational Games had any issues with the Gone Home/BioShock connection. So, I contacted Ken Levine, the company's creative director and co-founder.

"Steve told me he meant it as a 'fanboy shoutout' or something to that effect," Levine said. "I like steve, so found it flattering. I don't think he'd co-opt stuff I created/developed any more than I would co-opt gone home."

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[Exterminas]

That is one overwhelming headline leading to a very disappointing reveal.

Did you know that gone home also shares a universe with the Smash Brothers Series, because both contain a Super Nintendo?

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

And the next thing you know, most of known gaming resides in the mind of an Autistic boy's mind ala Tommy Westphall.

See http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-big-picture/6074-Worlds-Within-Worlds for the explanation.

Ahh well, at least it wasn't as weird as Infinite ending.

 

[Cecilo]

As good as that is that they want to try to promote their "Game" Further, this is a very tenuous link. And it seems like a very hollow attempt at something, I am not sure what, but something.

 

[JoJo]

I also share a universe with BioShock (in a totally non-litigious way), so logically that means... I can appear in this game? Cool, maybe I'll be DLC.

 

[Jeroenr]

This made me think of The Tommy Westphall Universe Hypothesis.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tommy-westphalls-universe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Westphall

Basicly saying that every serie that did a crossover are connected.
And only exist in the mind of an austic child

Or the Law and Order The John Munch Connection
http://houseofgeekery.com/2012/12/31/the-john-munch-television-connection/

Those 2 may overlap at some point.

So those things arn't really new.

Although, this one seems little more than a wink to previous a job of the creators.
they are called easter eggs and almost all games has atleast one.

 

[hazabaza1]

Back in the day we used to call these Easter Eggs. I guess everything needs and elaborate explanation nowadays.

 

[SweetShark]

All of you must play Gone Home. It is a perfect game to show you a nostalgia trip of our innocent lifes back then. Also it have the perfect atmosphare to make you feel you are indeed alone home.

Anyway, I never played Bioshock, so I don't care about the connection the two titles have....for now.

 

[Lil_Rimmy]

Well this seems a bit odd, it seems like someone trying to draw a VERY loose line to go, "LOOK! We share a universe with a better game! That makes literally no sense! And is mostly just an Easter Egg! BUY IT ALREADY PLEASE!". I dunno, there things like Half-Life and Portal existing in the same world and things like Rust and DayZ existing in the same world. The first makes sense, but the second is just stupid. But they share things, like how in Rust AND DayZ I can own a fire-axe, I can shoot an assault rifle, I can go into a town and loot, there are zombies.

All in all, I really see no need for someone to be saying this unless they were trying to convince others to convince others to buy this gam-

All of you must play Gone Home. It is a perfect game to show you a nostalgia trip of our innocent lifes back then. Also it have the perfect atmosphare to make you feel you are indeed alone home.

Anyway, I never played Bioshock, so I don't care about the connection the two titles have....for now.

OH GOD IT'S SPREADING!

 

[Gary Thompson]

Doesn't BioShock not take place in the same universe as itself though?

 

[Someone Depressing]

That's like saying that Portal and Portal 2 aren't in the same universe because the companion cube has a different design.

I really am disapointed by this. I was expecting something that.. you know. Mattered.

 

[SweetShark]

snip

Please, put a spoiler tag at least for the other people who want to play the game.
Do you really think just because of this "fact" the game is terrible?

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Doesn't BioShock not take place in the same universe as itself though?

Biosuck 1 and infinishit take place in the universe of Smugtwat. Occasionally crossing over into Pretentioudouchebag.

Wow. Such class. Very Internet. Much Aggresiveness.

For a more serious answer, it'd be more accurate to say that Bioshock 1 and 2 and Infinite are connected by the Multiverse Theory - which in and of itself could be considered a universe - as approached by the series as a whole.

System Shock 1 and 2 share a universe. Bioshock 1 and 2 also do. Bioshock Infinite, however, shares a link with an ALTERNATE Rapture. If it didn't and the first two games were directly tied to Infinite, we'd have seen signs of Fink's rummaging around the city and stealing Plasmid formulas from Suchong.

Based on the teasers for Infinite that were done in the style of old seventies-style mystery shows, Columbia and its alternate Rapture share ties with an alternate version of OUR universe - which is the one in which Gone Home might take place.

Do we have any logical ties with this web of universes, though? Not implicitly, unless you consider that Irrational Games *invented* this whole setup. In the same sense, we share ties with Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island universe, because a writer from our universe thought the novel into being.

Saying that "our" universe has direct ties with Gone Home, though, would be a fallacy.

 

[Rad Party God]

Unless Elizabeth suddendly appears in a cameo, I really don't care.

I mean, it's kinda neat and all, but... seriously, this won't change anyone's lives or anything.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Hee hee. I think this is kind of neat. I like it when things can be connected in convoluted ways like this. I think it's fun.