Under the name 2K Boston, the company created BioShock, which explored the importance of meaning, agency, and intention. Several of its members, including designer Ken Levine, went on to start Irrational Games, which designed some games with similar themes. Themes of personal choice and player agency would be very interesting to see play out in the fourth game.Īfter System Shock 2 refined what a deep dive into the thorny philosophical implications of artificial intelligence could look like, its developer Looking Glass Games closed. BioShock 4’s RPG mechanics could even play into how this is explored in game. To distinguish itself from these beloved titles, the fourth game needs to center more personal, and less theoretical, philosophies as part of its subject matter. RELATED: BioShock 4 Has an Elden Ring Problem The first BioShock presented a masterful critique of certain political philosophies (both narratively and mechanically), whereas Infinite meddled with metaphysics to tell its story. BioShock 4 is faced with a unique problem in terms of what it should center thematically.

The schools of thought Infinite explored were different to the first game, but it still kept that same fascination with philosophy. Even BioShock Infinite’s city-wide ziplines and slightly confused storytelling explored the consequences of philosophical theories, and this shined through its time travel and dimension hopping. The anticipated BioShock 4will likely have a similar philosophical focus, as the series’ spiritual predecessor, System Shock 2, was a deeply thoughtful piece of science fiction examining the consequences of artificial intelligence while boasting a healthy dose of futuristic horror. Great care was taken in the original BioShock to put philosophy front and center.

System shock 2 infinite