Release Date?

[somecut8]

Well, as we all know, Bioshock still does not have a release date that is set in stone. Nevertheless, my question is how will Irrational be able to release Bioshock at a most beneficial time period? It has been said that 2007 will be one of the best gaming years as many great games are projected to be released, i.e. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Unreal Tournament 3, etc. How will Irrational be able to release the game at just the right time so Bioshock will be the "mainstream" hit and not just some "great" game that was overshadowed by another franchise?

[One0Shot]

It is set for june I believe.

[RuneMaster70]

Sometime in June, 2007. Any quality game in the summer is always a good thing. They're going to need to avoid the fall time frame as it's packed with what seems like everything so far.

[ertertwert]

How will Irrational be able to release the game at just the right time so Bioshock will be the "mainstream" hit and not just some "great" game that was overshadowed by another franchise?

"When it's done." Seriously dude. When they FINISH the game, then it will be the "mainstream" hit.

[Pinstripe]

Well, it seems like Mass Effect is gonna be released around May/June as well. Clash of the Giants huh? At least on the X360....heh.

[Necros]

Well, it seems like Mass Effect is gonna be released around May/June as well. Clash of the Giants huh? At least on the X360....heh.
We'll have Mass Effect a year or two later on the PC and you'll have Dragon Age like that on the 360 too. :P :D

2KElizabeth said, they will release the game in June both in the US and in Europe at the same time, both for the PC and the 360. Let's hope they won't delay it.

[jackinthebox]

i don't think BioShock won't be a mainsteam hit... because it has so many innovative elements (that UT3 and Halo3 haven't) which will be praised by all gaming magazines/websites. 2k won't have to do any advertising i'm sure ;)

[Pinstripe]

Not that I really care about the 360 release, since I only own a PC. I just wanted to point out that both are hot steel with very close release dates.
Besides, rumors say ME PC is scheduled for a 2007 release... Given the fact that it runs on UE3 and doesn't need completely new Textures a'la Jade Empire, I think they even might achieve that.

[somecut8]

"When it's done." Seriously dude. When they FINISH the game, then it will be the "mainstream" hit.

I know. But say another great game were to be released 2 weeks before Bioshock. Then, Bioshock will not get the fame and popular support it otherwise would get if it were released at another time. And also, keep in mind that many people, like the casual gamer, do not know what Bioshock is. So if Bioshock were to be released at a time where there are other great hits, the casual gamer may not pick up Bioshock.

[Necros]

Besides, rumors say ME PC is scheduled for a 2007 release... Given the fact that it runs on UE3 and doesn't need completely new Textures a'la Jade Empire, I think they even might achieve that.
I hope this turns out to be true. :D (I hate platform exclusive titles... :mad: Let everybody have the good stuff at the same time, damn it.)

somecut8, if the box design will be good and the marketing will be done properly, BioShock will make huge profit. :)

[Avatar]

We'll have Mass Effect a year or two later on the PC
I guess we'll just have to hope.

Besides, rumors say ME PC is scheduled for a 2007 release... Given the fact that it runs on UE3 and doesn't need completely new Textures a'la Jade Empire, I think they even might achieve that.
Which rumours? Anything reliable?

Last I heard, the official word was that Mass Effect had no plans for a PC version. It's being marketed as an Xbox 360 exclusive title.

To be fair, Jade Empire was originally Xbox-only as well, and it seems that (finally) a PC version is arriving now. At this point I have to question if I'm even still interested in it after two years. Especially since the retail price is the same as a totally new A-list title. I have STALKER, ArmA, and BioShock on pre-order already, and I'm not made of money. :'(
I'll probably buy it anyway, to show that I support BioWare bringing their titles to PC (better late than never).

Honestly, there doesn't seem to be any reason not to plan a PC release of Mass Effect. It would be bound to sell well, and I can't see it not being a big earner. Only reason that makes sense to me would be if Microsoft paid them some big bucks to keep it exclusive.

Wait, so this topic was about BioShock's release date?
I just hope they wait until the game is finished before releasing it. I'd rather avoid being stuck with 500mb patches that are needed to make the game playable out of the box.

I hope this turns out to be true. :D (I hate platform exclusive titles... :mad: Let everybody have the good stuff at the same time, damn it.)
You're not alone there. Platform exclusives are lame. Hopefully if BioShock does the cross-platform development well, and sells well, it might encourage the practice in other companies.

[^ilovebioshock!]

well i preordered it in at an EB Games and they said it would be coming out i think June 2:o but don't trust my words im not sure:(

[a rabid chicken]

2K Elizabeth said it is coming in June but there is no official release date.

[Necros]

If she says something it's official, don't you think? :)

[vrap]

2K Elizabeth said it is coming in June but there is no official release date.
June is the official release date (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=153421?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS).

[bulldogsfan]

is it a universal release date or will the aussie gamers be shafted once more?

[Rapture_Tourist]

That localization for other countries has already started would be good news in terms of a EU release in June, as well.

[Necros]

is it a universal release date or will the aussie gamers be shafted once more?
Australia wasn't mentioned but Elizabeth said the game's gonna be be released both in the US and in Europe at the same time, so I think Australia will get the game at that time too. And IG has an office there as well, so I don't think they would ship the game there later. :)
But it's just my guess, so I could be wrong. We'll know everything for sure when we are nearer to the release.

[a rabid chicken]

Vrap, when I said date I meant an exact date, such as the 5th of June, rather than just a general time frame, such as June.

[ffanxii4ever]

Though June is better than no official answer, like Mass Effect has, or more accurately doesn't have

[vrap]

Vrap, when I said date I meant an exact date, such as the 5th of June, rather than just a general time frame, such as June.
Ah, I getcha now ;) I personally think they'll be crunching hard in order to make June anyway, so the exact date will probably come as late as it can.

[Rapture_Tourist]

bioshock Street Date Is August 21

for me, thats nearly end of the year....I wonder what they do in the meantime...

[vrap]

Um, I guess in the meantime they will be working hard on the game :p

[Uponemandus]

So what, 6 months of crunch? That sounds insane.

[vrap]

Or maybe they pushed the release date so that they didn't have to crunch from now all the way to launch.

[Newbeing]

Seems like they are giving themselves a bit more breathing space. It's great because now they can really streamline the experience and also build up some more promotion for the game.

[Uponemandus]

Or maybe they pushed the release date so that they didn't have to crunch from now all the way to launch.

Well that's certainly a reasonable answer, hopefully that's the case. Unfortunately, it's often not.

http://games.slashdot.org/games/04/05/04/2355241.shtml?tid=98

[Maniac]

Congrats to Irrational for their devotion. Get back to work!

-Maniac

[v.dog]

I'll believe that when I have the game in my hand. I've seen so many 'concrete' release dates crumble into the dust.

[Rapture_Tourist]

Its a bit strange...first I thought Bioshock might come this Spring, then it was June and now its late/end of August.

The game looked quite far in development and if they already betatest, I wonder what they do else ^^. That's nearly half a year. You usually betatest in the end....hmm, but its nice to bug hunt so ambitiously :)

[jackinthebox]

i even think they will postpone it to december... there's nothing wrong about it, but since Valve i don't believe in release dates :rolleyes:

[Necros]

And what would be the reason? :confused:

[jackinthebox]

And what would be the reason? :confused:

because IG will need more time... ;) i don't want to summon it, but it's still possible :P

[Necros]

because IG will need more time... ;) i don't want to summon it, but it's still possible :P
If you don't say, I wouldn't have figured it out... :) I mean real reason, like bugfixing, polishing textures, something like that. 2 months can be a lot for a dev team.

[ffanxii4ever]

and for all in europe, it is even later; August 24

[^ilovebioshock!]

mabye they are just getting us all disapointed that we have to wait 6 more months then they'll post a thread in big letters saying

HAHA WE TRICKED YOU BIOSHOCK HAS BEEN RELEASED:p



Of course it's just an idea:D

[rand2207]

It's nice that the rest of the world will get Bioshock in June. I live in Japan and I will have to wait until maybe 2008 depending on what way 2K decide to handle the Japanese version.

[Glottis]

It's nice that the rest of the world will get Bioshock in June. I live in Japan and I will have to wait until maybe 2008 depending on what way 2K decide to handle the Japanese version.


Dont you mean August ? I just hope it ships a little earlier then that,as by then I will be back into the thick of University courses.... :(

[somecut8]

Just to present an interesting thing I found that makes me question the release date of Bioshock:

From Wikipedia, "Much as the original System Shock's commercial defeat was at the hands of the mainstream Doom, System Shock 2, despite critical acclaim [1], was essentially eclipsed by Half-Life".

So Irrational really needs to choose a release date where it will not be eclipsed by other great games.

[Hatesink]

I think it was Counter Strike and the on-line play that really did it. Otherwise, SS2 was easily the better game.

[a rabid chicken]

I really don't think multiplayer was the biggest factor. I don't think it can be pinned entirely on one factor, and I'm sure multiplayer helped Half-Life, but I think there are bigger thing. I don't think most of the people who bought Half-Life knew much about SS2. I also don't think most of them really read about games. Also, I don't think SS2 was in the same market as Half-Life, because SS2 wouldn't be all that fun (I don't think) for someone who was looking solely for a fun, actiony, first person shooter experience.

[v.dog]

Indeed. HL was accessible out of the box which increased its appeal to the mass market, while SS2 suffers from an almost vertical learning curve which is only exacerbated by a major case of 'Ken Levine's a pretentious twit' syndrome.

[ffanxii4ever]

which is why bioshock will not be released in the winter (I hope) because then it will most likely be overshadowed by the big winter block busters (Halo 3 anyone?) If you have a bad track record of setting release dates, always set them for summer-ish when there is next to no competitors (imo)

[borgdrone89]

man, I hope ss2 works on my computer with vista. someone from uni is gunna lend it to me. he rekons it wasn't dwarfed by hl, but by another fps around that time..

[Hatesink]

he rekons it wasn't dwarfed by hl, but by another fps around that time..Which FPS?

[borgdrone89]

I THINK he said Q2? can't remember. but he reckons that ss2 and hl had a largeish gap between their releases. i cant comment on that because i don't know. i hope i get a response from the team for my topic about water, cos i'd really like to know what they are doing with that aspect of the game...

[Hatesink]

There are a few comments on the water effects in the first BioShock gameplay movie. I think Ken Levine also talked about it one of the podcasts, but just said more or less exactly the same thing as was said in the commentary for the gameplay movie.

He said they had one or two people purely to work on the water effects and that the water should be pretty cutting-edge/state-of-the-art.

I would be nice to hear more though. I'm really hoping they make a developer's commentary available as a download (apparently the game won't be shipping with one).

[Fireman]

There are a few comments on the water effects in the first BioShock gameplay movie. I think Ken Levine also talked about it one of the podcasts, but just said more or less exactly the same thing as was said in the commentary for the gameplay movie.

He said they had one or two people purely to work on the water effects and that the water should be pretty cutting-edge/state-of-the-art.

I would be nice to hear more though. I'm really hoping they make a developer's commentary available as a download (apparently the game won't be shipping with one).

Perhaps after the game is released, Levine will hopefully take about an hour, sit down with the game, and do a small marathon and tell us about the development and such. I dont see this as a necessary feature, but it would be cool to hear some of the stories about this game.

[somecut8]

Ahh!! Too many good games. I am going to become broke after this year. Bioshock is supposed to be released in August, Half Life 2 (360) + Team Fortress in September, Halo 3 in September, Grand Theft Auto 4 in October, and among many other games that might be released in 2007 including:
Alan Wake
Army of Two
Battlefield: Bad Company
BlackSite: Area 51
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Crysis
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Frontlines: Fuel of War
Haze
Hour of Victory
Huxley
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Madden 08
Medal of Honor: Airborne
NBA 2k8
Rogue Warrior
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Unreal Tournament 3
Warhound

And these are just the games I am interested in. There is also Mass Effect, Too Human, and many others.

Also, I still have to purchase Guitar Hero II. Anybody have any ideas on how to solve this dilemma because I will probably be living in the streets when 2008 wheels around? And how are developers going to make money? I bet that most people will only purchase about 4 games from September to the end of the year. What should I do? And what should developers do?

[^ilovebioshock!]

Ahh!! Too many good games. I am going to become broke after this year. Bioshock is supposed to be released in August, Half Life 2 (360) + Team Fortress in September, Halo 3 in September, Grand Theft Auto 4 in October, and among many other games that might be released in 2007 including:
Alan Wake
Army of Two
Battlefield: Bad Company
BlackSite: Area 51
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Crysis
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Frontlines: Fuel of War
Haze
Hour of Victory
Huxley
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Madden 08
Medal of Honor: Airborne
NBA 2k8
Rogue Warrior
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Unreal Tournament 3
Warhound

And these are just the games I am interested in. There is also Mass Effect, Too Human, and many others.

Also, I still have to purchase Guitar Hero II. Anybody have any ideas on how to solve this dilemma because I will probably be living in the streets when 2008 wheels around? And how are developers going to make money? I bet that most people will only purchase about 4 games from September to the end of the year. What should I do? And what should developers do?

if you have alot of luck i have one word for you "Lottery":D

[borgdrone89]

just get hl2 and halo 3 when they're out. and of course, 10 copies of bioshock, so that you may give freely to all your friends (like me ;D); such that they can revel in the joy that is this soon-to-be game

[v.dog]

I've pruned my list down to Bioshock, Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Friends, Assassin's Creed, Stalker (which I have) and Tomb Raider 10th Aniversary.

I don't want Mass Effect to come to the PC. KOTOR 2 stole my life.

[BioShockWins]

august is what is said ATM

[v.dog]

Raveness, Portal is part of the HL2:Ep2 pack, along with Team Fortress 2. You can't buy them seperately.

They're due in September, but remember, that date's in Valve Time (http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time)

[Silent Film]

Well, maybe at release but I expect Valve will seperate them out and offer them as seperate products at a later stage. They like to do that - notice how HL2-DM is no longer a free component of HL2.

[JoJonathan]

I know. But say another great game were to be released 2 weeks before Bioshock. Then, Bioshock will not get the fame and popular support it otherwise would get if it were released at another time. And also, keep in mind that many people, like the casual gamer, do not know what Bioshock is. So if Bioshock were to be released at a time where there are other great hits, the casual gamer may not pick up Bioshock. Actually me and a group that is in a school gamer club are saving up money so the day its released we will buy both the limiteds for 360 and pc ( around 27 members right now each with a 360 and pc some with more xD)

I got lucky on my 360 I won it in a stacker arcade game spent 35 dollers but it was worth it ( I got enough saved up for the elite if I sell the 360 too XD)

[smallsey]

reckon there will be a playable demo available before the release?

[jackinthebox]

reckon there will be a playable demo available before the release?

that's what COMMUNITY Q&A #2 (http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/qa2.html) says:

Will BioShock have a playable demo, and if so, when?

No playable demo is planned at this time, as the team is focused on the actual game. Things could change, however.

[Blackhawk0044]

on my oxm magazine it said may somethin like towards the end of the month unless they pushed it back

[smallsey]

what a demo?
i dunno about a demo...it might ruin the experience.
or fuel the fire...making that August release date just that little more harsh

[splicer]

I keep hearing the odd whisper about something playable on the cards,as for getting the game,I'll sell my mother-in-law-to pay for it!;)

[Soulsphere]

I don't mind, too much, when software developers push back release dates. After all, they want to make the game as good as it can be before release. However, sometimes you wonder how competent these developers are if they're always pushing back the date. I hope 2K doesn't push the date back from August 21, though I can see a benifit of doing so: Christmas gifts.

[MF9000]

A demo would be nice. Not only to get a feel for the game, but to test our systems to see if we need to upgrade a bit or not. Just a thought.:)