BioShock Infinite Is in Trouble, Loses Key Developers

[Callate]

I would genuinely like to hope that by this point the game is past where the daily oversight of such high-level positions is necessary. I guess we'll see...

 

[Gladion]

Everything you are in the games industry, your entire resume, comes from your inclusion in the end credits of games. Studios routinely leave out even the most prominent people if they are not still on the team the day the game ships.

Routinely? The only time I ever heard that happen was on L.A. Noire - and that was a huge deal.

Btw: am I the only person wondering what a 'Director of Product Development' actually does?

 

[ThriKreen]

A development studio losing key creative/design directors just before release is like the Chief Development Officer of a major company resigning a month before the company launches a new product line.

You really need to learn how game dev works. At this stage of development, content lockdown, they're essentially in skeleton crew mode - polish and bug fixing. Art direction is set, and chances are any assistant art directors or various team leads can step in for art related decisions, since they have the rest of the game to match up. Compared with the beginning of dev when the art style has not been set yet.

Depending on the studio structure, a director of product development is probably a studio wide position where they oversee things like which projects get the go ahead and funding, or product tie ins with retailer exclusives or distribution licenses on Steam, etc. Or maybe sets code policies and oversees how the studio grows in terms of development for future titles, shuffling people around various projects as they roll off, hiring policies, licensing other products, etc.

But he doesn't have much of an impact on the actual development, and hardly a key figure.

I.e. they're probably not satisfied with the result and want to distance themselves from it and get a new job before the shit hits the fan and the game (& their reputation) tanks. That, or they don't like their job... which could be indicative of studio-wide employee dissatisfaction.

Or like I said before, with things in lockdown and less workload, they saw an opportunity to move on to other positions (An art director on 3 Bioshock titles might get bored after awhile).

And they probably have internal people like assistants who can step in and help fill the hole in the meantime.

 

[Darkmantle]

Oh yeah the game with the lady in a corset with huge tits.
Now I remember

And that's a bad thing how?

Some people are just prudes. IIRC they actually ended up reducing her breast size because of the people whining about it. It's just sad really.

 

[Sheo_Dagana]

Bioshock Infinite is getting pushed back again? *yawn*

 

[Dogstile]

Oh yeah the game with the lady in a corset with huge tits.
Now I remember

And that's a bad thing how?

Its not, I think its just a jab at how the artist was annoyed because that's all people used to describe the character.

Oh yeah the game with the lady in a corset with huge tits.
Now I remember

And that's a bad thing how?

Some people are just prudes. IIRC they actually ended up reducing her breast size because of the people whining about it. It's just sad really.

There was a news story on this site I believe, he actually reduced it because he was tired of everyone commenting on her boobs. People weren't complaining, quite the opposite.

 

[Jfswift]

I'm not sure if it'll have that much impact. The bulk of the company is still in place. The workers.. the one's actually making the game are still there working away at it and I'm sure by now most of the concepts and art direction have been established. (the people working on this project should have an idea of how it will look anyway, it's the third time they've done this).

 

[I.Muir]

Maybe they are off chasing photo realism

 

[Ignatz_Zwakh]

Ah fuck. Please puh-LEEZE get made....and even better. Don't suck.

 

[Flailing Escapist]

Is this why we can't have nice things?

 

[Dangit2019]

Calling it now...this game will be the new Duke Nukem Forever.

Didn't you hear? Half Life 2: Episode 3 is already the new DNF. Maybe Infinite will just follow in its place if it's ever actually released.

 

[agiganticpanda]

I've heard they're still doing changes to it this far in. I wouldn't be surprised if the ship date sailed by.

 

[Jack_in_theGreen]

This piece of news should at least be UPDATED. I think it was yesterday that Levine DID tweet that the position of Art director was already filled by Scott Sinclair, the Art director for the original Bioshock... https://twitter.com/IGLevine/status/233292727876460544

I think on the whole this should not mean delays or major problems in the developing process....

 

[Vivi22]

Eh, not much in the way of news, if the game is scheduled for a Feb 2013 release, it should be in lockdown at this point or close to it. Polish and bug fixing til Nov/Dec, then console certification, and expect a gold announcement end of January. Probably some DLC content creation in this stage too.

Losing those two roles isn't that big an impact, as art direction is already set and done at this point, as is development. Chances are they took the opportunity to leave at this point when the workload has lessened.

Couldn't agree more. Even if there are changes to be made to the art at this point, they'd be minor. Nothing that any of the experienced team members who spent the last two years working on this title couldn't handle.

Writing an article that's all doom and gloom Bioshock: Infinite being in some sort of imaginary trouble is silly and unprofessional based on what little actual information we have here.

 

[Inkidu]

The more I hear about Infinite the more I become wary and skeptical. At first I was all pumped, but when I realized that they were going to recycle Rapture IN THE SKY! They're supposedly shifting the political criticism, but I wonder now...

Now it's had one or two delays, and now head directors are jumping ship? Yeah, the more I find the less enthused for the game I become. :\

 

[D-Class 198482]

WHAT
NO
I...
NO
PLEASE GOD
NOOOO

 

[Jack_in_theGreen]

And recently, former director of production at Epic Games,Rod Ferguson, confirmed that he'll join IRRATIONAL GAMES and will be working in Bioshock Infinite...
https://twitter.com/GearsViking/status/233680125089153024

So this thread definetely needs some UPDADITNG...

 

[Darren716]

Oh well I doubt the art director had much to do anyway with the game only a few months away from release and the art direction was already set in stone.