High Scores And Egos: There's Always A Bigger Doodle 
The Last Moments Of GAME 
How Bad User Interfaces Are Ruining Video Games And Other Wonderful Things 
She Tried To Make Good Video Games For Girls, Whatever That Meant 
The Story Of Doodle Jump: Brotherly Love And Digital Snacks 
Sunday Comics: Dead Island 2K’s Australian studio, based in Canberra, has undergone more than a few name changes in the past. I pity the fool that has to answer phones in that place. “Hello, Irrational Games/2K Australia/2K Marin/2K Boston, how can I help you?” Take your pick, you’ve got a 25% chance of being right at any given time…
XCOM PC Games Trailer – E3 2010: Debut Trailer XCOM, the bastardisation of everything I love and hold dear in the fabled ’90s game series, looks like it could be worth some attention.
So 2K Boston have reverted to their original name, Irrational Games. Good news for nostalgic PC fans. But what of the fate of the “other half” of Irrational, 2K Australia?
The multiplayer mode of BioShock 2 isn’t just supposed to be a fun activity for multiple gamers. It’s supposed to be a prequel to the first BioShock. A prequel told through multiplayer? How absurd, I thought, before entering its lobby.
Game developers – they always have to make a game out of everything, including quitting their job as a game developer for 2K Australia.
2K Boston, with help from 2K Australia, made BioShock. And what a great game it was. But they’re not making BioShock 2. Somebody else is. Why somebody else and not 2K Boston? Ken Levine (pictured, emerging from the ruins of Rapture clutching the last remaining…Coke Zero!) explains:
I think for us, we come out of our BioShock coma – from shipping that game, and how hard that was – and then making a determination. What’s next for us, and how aggressive are we going to be?
Yesterday, BioShock on PS3 appeared in the OFLC’s database. Somehow, the static image of a syringe is much more suggestive than a dude violently jabbing himself with a needle and groaning in ecstasy. Good thing there’s no mention of real world drugs, so we can pretend it’s just a game!
Oh, that’s right, it is a game.
As an aside, Digital Extremes gets an “author” credit in the database entry, thanks to its optimisation work.
BioShock was a big hit. But, the way lead programmer Chris Kline sees it, the game should’ve been a MISERABLE FAILURE. BioShock was first planned in early 2002 when its developer, the then Irrational Games, decided it needed a big AAA title. The idea was to make a System Shock 2 clone, but development on the game stopped for about two years. “The very first failure”, recalls Kline, “was that we wanted to base this whole thing on System Shock 2. After a couple false starts, it wasn’t until the E3 2006 demo that the team really had to think about things like making the game work and creating a “compelling user experience”. Kline adds:
The latest Official Xbox Mag is running a rumour that’s been quietly – oh so quietly – doing the rounds for a few months now. That rumour concerns just what, exactly, 2K Boston (and I presume 2K Australia as well) are up to these days. With 2K Marin confirmed as the team behind BioShock 2, what could Ken Levine and the rest of the guys behind BioShock 1 be working on? Maybe a new X-Com game. Yes, X-Com. 2K quietly bought the rights to the series in 2007, so the rumour’s at least got a solid footing, though we’re still going to recommend you increase your daily intake of salt. If only because the thought of a new, official X-Com game is too awesome to mess around with. [Official Xbox Magazine, June 2008]
If you once worked at Auran, but no longer do thanks to last year’s unpleasantness, then you might find a new home over at the Canberra-based 2K Australia.
According to Sumea, the studio is welcoming ex-Auran folk to apply for positions at the company – specifically designers, coders and quality assurance people with plenty of experience. 2K Australia’s even happy to help out with relocation costs if you’re particularly pro. From the story:
We offer relocation assistance for mid-senior candidates and we spoil out staff members with movie nights, daily fruit and subsidised health and gym.
Sounds like a sweet deal to me.
Technically, anyone is free to apply for a position at 2K Australia, but I’m sure the ex-Auran guys appreciate the personalised invite.
2K Australia is Hiring [Sumea]
