BioShock 2 surfacing February 9

Back in May, those eager to get back to Rapture after the events of BioShock thought they would not have long to wait, when 2K Games announced the game was to ship worldwide from the end of October. Alas, this was not to be, and BioShock 2, which was first officially confirmed in March 2008, was later moved to a "fiscal 2010" window, with Take-Two saying the game should be out between February and July.

It turns out that BioShock 2 will be released sooner rather than later, as 2K Games announced today that the dystopian shooter will be available worldwide on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 9. BioShock 2 is being developed by a host of different houses, with 2K Marin taking the reins on the single-player campaign and Digital Extremes crafting the multiplayer component. Support is also being provided by 2K Australia, 2K China, and Arkane Studios.

The single-player campaign is set 10 years after the events of BioShock, when, "along the Atlantic coastline, a monster has been snatching little girls and bringing them back to the undersea city of Rapture." The multiplayer component is set before the first game, allowing gamers a glimpse of life in Rapture as things started to go wrong in the undersea utopia, providing "a rich prequel experience that expands the origins of the BioShock fiction."

Bioshock 2 has yet to be rated, though its predecessor received an M-for-Mature rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board. For more on the game, check out the video below or one of the recent previews.