BioShock Infinite multiplayer cancelled

And ex-Gears of War director moved onto the project amid staff departures

Tarryn van der BylAugust 11, 2012

Is a man not entitled to a multiplayer mode? Apparently not, as it turns out – according to new reports, the game’s multiplayer features have been dumped.

The news comes via Kotaku’s flies-on-walls, who confirmed that two planned multiplayer modes – a “Spec Ops” co-operative survival mode and some sort of tower defence mode – were removed, and that the game will ship as a single-player title.

Although creative director Ken Levine declined to comment on any specifics, he told Kotaku that “We are experimenting with things, and only if they are good enough will we put them in the game.”

It’s also been announced that Gears of War director of production Rod Fergusson has quit his job at Epic Games and hired on at Irrational Games to assist on further development on BioShock Infinite. This unexpected twist comes amid several staff departures at Irrational, including product development director Tim Gerritsen and art director Nate Wells.

First revealed in August 2010, BioShock Infinite had already been in development for two and a half years previously, and was originally scheduled to launch this year. This was subsequently delayed to February next year, however, and its E3 2012 showing was cancelled, leading to speculation that the game’s development might be in trouble.

“When you are trying to innovate, the path is not always clear and these things take time,” said Levine. “But I guarantee this: The next time we show you guys the game the judge will be you, not me.”