BioShock Infinite Announced

Irrational Games’ Project Icarus has been revealed as BioShock Infinite, an indirect sequel to the series that originally began as a spiritual successor to System Shock 2. It’s hard to say if Infinite will contain any role-playing elements at all, but the crazy steampunk-injected alternate history setting (a flying city!) looks and sounds very compelling. First, the CGI announcement trailer:

And here’s the press release:

2K Games And Irrational Games Announce BioShock® Infinite

Creators of original BioShock® look to the sky in the next chapter of the award-winning franchise

Thursday 12th August/… 2K Games announced today that BioShock® Infinite, a first-person shooter, is currently in development at Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock® which has sold over 4 million units worldwide. Set in 1912, BioShock Infinite introduces an entirely new narrative experience that lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky. BioShock Infinite is currently planned for release during calendar 2012.

Originally conceived as a floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power, Columbia is dispatched to distant shores with great fanfare by a captivated public. What begins as a brand new endeavor of hope turns drastically wrong as the city soon disappears into the clouds to whereabouts unknown.

The player assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the lost city to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

(We are excited to expand the world of BioShock, which is one of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and beloved franchises,) said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. (We believe that Irrational Games will lend their meticulous attention to detail and unique storytelling expertise to make BioShock Infinite an incredible entertainment experience that will immerse new and diehard fans of BioShock alike.)

With the original BioShock, Irrational Games won (Game of the Year) awards from Game Informer, IGN, G4’s X-Play, and BAFTA and redefined what players expect from a first-person shooter. (But when it came to begin work on BioShock Infinite,” said Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games, “we only had one rule: No sacred cows. This game is both true to what people love about the series and unafraid to question every assumption.”

Levine continued, “In order to explore the floating city of Columbia, we needed an entirely new engine. To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build brand-new animation and AI systems. To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change.”

BioShock Infinite is in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows®, and is not yet rated by the ESRB.

For more information on BioShock Infinite please visit www.bioshockinfinite.com.

Irrational Games is a 2K Games studio. 2K Games is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

About Irrational Games
Located near Boston, Massachusetts, Irrational Games is widely recognized as one of the industry’s leading game developers. Irrational has earned a reputation for creating story-driven, genre-defining games with award-winning hits like System Shock 2, Freedom Force, and the original BioShock. For more information, visit www.IrrationalGames.com.

About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, WiiTM, Nintendo DSTM, iPhoneTM, iPod® touch and iPad. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K, which publishes its titles under 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

There’s also a write-up of the press unveiling over at Shacknews.