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2K Boston's 'next big project' is a 'shooter'

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted Aug 10, 2009 1:02 pm PT

Original BioShock studio hiring veteran designers to work on "unannounced" action title; is it an X-COM spin-off, a SWAT sequel, or something else entirely?

Speaking with GameSpot in March, 2K Boston cofounder, president, and creative director Ken Levine gave the following advice: "If somebody wanted to know what was going on at 2K Boston right now, there's only one way: apply for a job with us." He went on, saying that the developer formerly known as Irrational Games "still need[s] more, many more people to come and get involved in our Next Big Thing."

Can you smell what The Levine is cookin'? No?

Now, it appears that the no-longer-underwater 2K Boston is indeed bulking up its staff. The studio is hiring a principal combat designer, multiplayer level designer, and level designer for a single mystery game. All three positions mention that the shop's "next big project" is "an unannounced shooter." Reps for 2K Games had not commented on the job listings as of press time.

With 2K Marin (and several other studios) working on the recently delayed BioShock 2, the mention of 2K Boston's next project raises several possibilities. If rumors that Levine's team is working on a new entry in the X-COM series are true, then the project could be a shooter spin-off of the classic sci-fi tactics franchise, a la X-COM: Enforcer. (Hopefully such a project would receive better reviews than its predecessor.)

However, if 2K Boston, which is owned by Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive, has multiple development teams, that means it could be working on a proper X-COM sequel and a second project. Possibilities range from a SWAT 4 follow-up to a shooter based on another classic Irrational franchise, such as Freedom Force. (The System Shock IP is owned by Electronic Arts.) The studio could also be quietly laying the foundation for a return to the first-person BioShock series--or readying an entirely new IP altogether.

However, whatever 2K Boston is currently working on, it is indeed "big." Last month, Levine told industry specialty site Gamasutra that his team has "a scope and ambition in mind which is more ambitious than anything we've ever done. Even more, substantially more ambitious than BioShock."

110 Comments

  • RitterXplode

    Posted Dec 14, 2009 1:42 am PT

    i love big things. they tend to be sustancious and, you know, big.

  • xenogearsownz

    Posted Dec 1, 2009 5:43 am PT

    yes because SWAT 5 would be substantially more ambitious than Bioshock....

    /facepalm

  • SwTz

    Posted Sep 17, 2009 5:01 am PT

    Make SWAT 5 PLEASE our community needs it

  • zaphod_b

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 6:26 am PT

    @Anteraan: I think you just contradicted yourself. Shooters can go in other directions they haven't explored yet enough.

  • pogswarts

    Posted Aug 22, 2009 6:27 am PT

    I hope it's SWAT 5!

  • RavenXavier

    Posted Aug 17, 2009 10:14 pm PT

    You're the man Ken, you're the man.

  • Anteraan

    Posted Aug 14, 2009 10:34 pm PT

    Good god, when are gamers going to realize that the shooter genre is played out to death? The main reason Bioshock was soooooo very good was that it was a shooter with THINKING.

  • ildamos

    Posted Aug 13, 2009 6:07 am PT

    System Shock 3.

  • LosDaddie

    Posted Aug 12, 2009 6:12 am PT

    Ken Levine is a gaming god. BioShock was (and still is) phenomenal. Easily one of the best games this generation thus far

  • Excedra

    Posted Aug 12, 2009 5:54 am PT

    Wow...because shooters are soooo uncommon.......

  • PodXCOM

    Posted Aug 12, 2009 3:25 am PT

    I hope they don't make X-COM into a crappy doom clone. That would be really super gay

  • aura_enchanted

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 5:20 pm PT

    swat 5 PLZ AND THANK YOU!

  • Gallardo980

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 4:17 pm PT

    SWAT 4 RULES

  • X-RS

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 4:09 pm PT

    i guess there wouldnt be this much hype over the darkness sequel?
    starbreeze said they werent working on it. word was it went to 2k iirc.
    dontcha hate searching news archives?

  • edub272

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 2:42 pm PT

    ya 2k boston! representin bean town go red sox

  • EliteGamer09

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 12:09 pm PT

    2K Boston?

  • Melty123

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 11:44 am PT

    2K shooter, I'll have a look when it comes closer.

  • justin121390

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 11:29 am PT

    its bioshock 3, my cousin used to work for 2k boston, and before he left he told me bioshock 2 wasn't being made by 2k boston because they were working on bioshock 3, i don't know if this story is for bioshock 3, but I do know that they are working on it.

  • Vod_Crack

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 10:42 am PT

    SWAT 5 would be awesome. SWAT 4 was great on the PC but none of my mates had it to make the most out of the experience. If they made a SWAT 5, hopefully it would be on the PC and Xbox 360/PS3 so people can choose what platform would have their friends playing it. SWAT 4 was alright in single-player but co-op was just intense, walking into rooms with your squad of real teammates shouting "GET ON THE FLOOR" while filling the room with tear gas. It was a challenging game that rewarded the player for trying to get the terrorists to surrender, rather than just shooting first asking questions later. SWAT 5 would be awesome.

  • Souldrainer2021

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 10:39 am PT

    lol so many shooters are on the market, i hope they come up with something that will rise above the crowd, then again... they probably will.

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