Video game franchises are destined to change over time for a multitude of reasons. The easiest one to point out is technology. Mario was created in the 8-bit era, then evolved to 16-bit, then 3D models, and now, even BETTER 3D models, which have allowed for several different kinds of gameplay styles and formulas to be put to him and his mushroom kingdom friends. Then, there are the changes that happen when the “creators of the franchise” depart and “new blood” takes over the reins. With Bioshock 4, franchise creator Ken Levine won’t be a part of the project, and in a recent interview about his upcoming title, Judas, he explained why that was.
In his chat, Levine indeed made it clear that he’s got no involvement in Bioshock 4. That being said, he noted he “gave his blessing” to the new team, which features people who worked on the highly praised third entry of the franchise, and asked them to “make it cool.”
Another thing he noted was that he felt it wouldn’t be right to suddenly be brought in to “punch things up a bit,” because “that’s not how game development works.”
He further revealed that when it came to the franchise’s second entry, which most agree wasn’t the best, there were conflicts between what Levine wanted and what the publisher wanted. That likely led to the divisive reaction to things compared to the first game, which many saw as a “revolution” of sorts regarding storytelling and gameplay.
And that might have been the biggest reason why Levine stepped away from the franchise to go and work on something new. Levine stated that the biggest driving point for making Judas was that he got to make the “final calls.” That way, if anyone had complaints or notes about the game, they could technically go right to Levine and tell him about it, because it was his decisions that made the game what it was.
If he were to jump back into his old franchise right now and try to “help it,” he would’ve only “marginally” been a part of the game design process, and thus couldn’t take credit or blame for what occurred within.
There are many game developers today who feel that way, as they want the creative freedom to make the titles they want without “corporate overlords” bearing down on them and trying to get the biggest profits instead of making the biggest games.
