Ken Levine (game developer)

Levine was born in Flushing, New York, to a Jewish family.{{cite web|title=BioShock's Jewish Roots Run Deep|first=Cody|last=Mello-Klein|website=Kotaku|date=July 10, 2018|url=https://kotaku.com/bioshocks-jewish-roots-run-deep-1827482206}} Raised in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Levine graduated from Northern Highlands Regional High School.Bastug, Gregory. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record-news-from-ken-levine-at-vassa/166238062/ "Around Town"], The Record, December 30, 1987. Accessed February 20, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Kenneth Levine of Upper Saddle River performed in the Vassar College Drama Department production of "Morn to Midnight." The play, by Paul Schmidt, is an adaptation of a German play by George Kaiser. Levine is a senior at Vassar and a graduate of Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale."

He studied drama at Vassar College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama in 1988{{cite web|last=Scharr|first=Jillian|title=Levine '88 discusses career as game developer|url=http://www.miscellanynews.com/2.1579/levine-88-discusses-career-as-game-developer-1.2167708#.UPd1Wieum50|publisher=The Miscellany News|access-date=January 17, 2013|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313081830/http://www.miscellanynews.com/2.1579/levine-88-discusses-career-as-game-developer-1.2167708#.UPd1Wieum50|archive-date=March 13, 2010}} in Poughkeepsie, New York before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film career, writing two screenplays.Levine, Ken. [http://irrationalgames.com/insider/pax-2008-keynote-with-ken-levine/ "PAX 2008 Keynote"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722100132/http://irrationalgames.com/insider/pax-2008-keynote-with-ken-levine/ |date=July 22, 2011 }}, August 30, 2008. Referenced April 4, 2011.

Before he got into gaming, Levine worked as a computer consultant on Wall Street but admitted he was not very good at it, describing his attitude towards the job as a "slacker".{{cite web |last1=GameSpot |title=Hot Seat: Ken Levine Interview |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taFNwbiseDE&t=3m07s |website=YouTube |date=July 7, 2010 |access-date=April 27, 2023}}

In 1995, Levine was hired as a game designer by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Looking Glass Studios after replying to a job ad in Next Generation magazine. At Looking Glass, he worked with pioneering designer Doug ChurchG4 TV. [http://www.g4tv.com/videos/51802/Feedback-LIVE-At-PAX-East-2011-With-Ken-Levine/ "Feedback LIVE! At PAX East 2011 With Ken Levine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017063601/http://www.g4tv.com/videos/51802/Feedback-LIVE-At-PAX-East-2011-With-Ken-Levine/ |date=October 17, 2012 }}, March 12, 2011. Referenced April 4, 2011. to establish the initial fiction and design of Thief: The Dark Project.Omni. [http://www.armchairempire.com/Interviews/freedom-force-vs-the-third-reich-interview.htm "Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich Q&A with Ken Levine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923173700/http://www.armchairempire.com/Interviews/freedom-force-vs-the-third-reich-interview.htm |date=September 23, 2015 }}, "The Armchair Empire," March 10, 2005. Referenced April 4, 2011.

In 1997, following his work on Thief, Levine left Looking Glass along with two coworkers, Jonathan Chey and Robert Fermier, to found Irrational Games.Irrational Games. [http://irrationalgames.com/studio/ "Studio"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404002724/http://irrationalgames.com/studio/ |date=April 4, 2011 }}, referenced April 4, 2011. The studio's first game was System Shock 2, an early hybrid of a role-playing game and first-person shooter. It is the sequel to Looking Glass' System Shock (1994). Levine served as lead writer and designer,MobyGames. [http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/system-shock-2/credits "System Shock (1999) Windows credits"], "MobyGames," referenced April 4, 2011. and the game shipped in 1999 to critical acclaim.Metacritic. [https://www.metacritic.com/game/system-shock-2/critic-reviews/?platform=pc "System Shock 2 for PC Reviews"], referenced April 4, 2011.

Irrational Games developed Freedom Force and its sequel Freedom Force vs the 3rd Reich, real-time tactical role-playing games that drew heavily on the love Levine and Irrational Games's artist Robb Waters had for the Silver Age of Comic Books. After the first Freedom Force game, Irrational developed the first-person shooters Tribes: Vengeance and SWAT 4, on which Levine served as writer and executive producer respectively.

Although Tribes: Vengeance, SWAT 4, and Third Reich all shipped within a year of one another in 2004 and 2005, Irrational Games had been working in preproduction on the first-person shooter BioShock, the studio's most ambitious game at that point, since 2002.Irrational Games. [http://irrationalgames.com/insider/from-the-vault-may/ "From the Vault – The BioShock Pitch"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813232138/http://irrationalgames.com/insider/from-the-vault-may/ |date=August 13, 2015 }}, referenced April 4, 2011. The game went through numerous revisions to its premise and gameplay, and was released in August 2007.{{cite web|last=Fear|first=Ed|title=Bioshock|website=MCV|date=June 23, 2008|url=http://www.develop-online.net/news/bioshock-was-a-sequence-of-failures-and-errors/0103034|publisher=develop|access-date=November 20, 2013}} In 2005, Levine, Chey, and Fermier sold Irrational Games to publisher Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two Interactive changed their name to 2K, just as BioShock was released. BioShock was a critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the best video games of all time.Metacritic. [http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/all/all?view=condensed&sort=desc "Highest and Lowest Scoring Games at Metacritic"], referenced April 4, 2011. The BioShock franchise has sold over 25 million units to date.{{cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/06/01/bioshock-franchise-sees-lifetime-sales-of-25m-copies-with-11m-from-infinite-alone/|title=BioShock franchise sees lifetime sales of 25M copies – with 11M from Infinite alone|first=Dale|last=North|date=June 1, 2015|work=VentureBeat}}

In 2008, Levine delivered the keynote address at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, discussing his youth as a nerd in the 1970s and how it impacted the path of his career.

Since the release of BioShock, Levine served as creative director and lead writer on BioShock Infinite, set in 1912 in the floating city of Columbia. BioShock Infinite was a critical and commercial success, winning over 80 awards pre-release.{{cite web|title=Bioshock Infinite wins 75 E3 editorial honors|url=http://irrationalgames.com/insider/bioshock-infinite-wins-75-e3-editorial-honors/|publisher=Irrational Games|access-date=November 20, 2013|archive-date=May 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518103603/http://irrationalgames.com/insider/bioshock-infinite-wins-75-e3-editorial-honors/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=The Game|url=http://www.bioshockinfinite.com/the-game/|publisher=Irrational Games|access-date=November 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330040712/http://www.bioshockinfinite.com/the-game|archive-date=March 30, 2013|url-status=dead}}

In February 2014, Levine announced that Irrational Games would be closing down, with fifteen members of the staff to follow Levine to focus on digital only, narrative-driven games for Take-Two.{{Cite web |url=http://irrationalgames.com/new-featured/a-message-from-ken-levine-2/ |title=A Message From Ken Levine |access-date=May 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140219101811/http://irrationalgames.com/new-featured/a-message-from-ken-levine-2/ |archive-date=February 19, 2014 |url-status=dead }} He stated in a 2016 interview that the stress of managing Infinite{{'}}s development had affected his health and personal relationships, and rather than stay on to lead an even larger BioShock game, opted to depart from it.{{cite magazine | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160916112859/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/we-were-all-miserable-inside-bioshock-video-game-franchise-w439921 | archive-date = September 16, 2016 | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/we-were-all-miserable-inside-bioshock-video-game-franchise-w439921 | title = Inside the Making of 'BioShock' Series With Creator Ken Levine | first = Chris | last = Suellentrop | date = September 14, 2016 | access-date = September 15, 2016 | magazine = Rolling Stone | url-status = dead }}

On February 23, 2017, Irrational Games was rebranded as Ghost Story Games, founded by 12 of the former Irrational members with Levine remaining as president and creative director.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-bioshock-studio-irrational-games-adopts-a-n/1100-6448166/ | title = Former BioShock Studio Irrational Games Adopts A New Name | first = Chris | last= Pereira |date = February 23, 2017 | access-date = February 23, 2017 | work = GameSpot }} In January 2022, the studio's game was reported to be in development hell, with employees blaming Levine for a lack of leadership in producing a vaguely pitched game that Levine described as a "narrative LEGO" in which every player would have a unique experience.{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2013/10/9/4816828/ken-levines-next-big-thing-isnt-so-much-a-game-as-it-is-a-reinvention | title = Ken Levine on his secret post-BioShock 'thought experiment' | first = Brian| last = Crecente | date = October 9, 2013 | access-date = January 10, 2022 | work = Polygon}} On December 8, 2022, they revealed their game, the first-person shooter Judas.

Levine has been a consultant and co-author of three books related to the BioShock franchise. These are BioShock: Rapture, BioShock Infinite: Mind in Revolt and The Art of BioShock Infinite. He himself did not work on the majority of Rapture and Mind in Revolt, but provided the intellectual property and quotes used by the authors in the books. The author for Rapture was John Shirley and the author for Mind in Revolt was Joe Fielder.{{cite web|last=Wigham|first=Chris|title=Bioshock: Rapture – interview with the author, John Shirley|date=July 26, 2011|url=http://www.consoleob.com/features/bioshock-rapture-interview-with-the-author-john-shirley/|publisher=Console Obsession|access-date=November 20, 2013}}{{cite web|last=Fielder|first=Joe|title=Bioshock: Mind in Revolt|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17280623-bioshock-infinite|publisher=Amazon Digital Services Incorporated|access-date=November 20, 2013}} Levine personally wrote an introduction in the deluxe edition of The Art of BioShock Infinite, published by Dark Horse Comics.{{cite web|title=The Art of Bioshock Infinite|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16205945-the-art-of-bioshock-infinite|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|access-date=November 20, 2013}}

In June 2013, Levine had been confirmed to be writing the script for a new film version of the dystopian science fiction novel Logan's Run.{{cite web|last=Futter|first=Mike|title=Bioshock's Ken Levine Tapped To Write Logan's Run Remake For Warner Bros.|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/06/18/bioshocks-ken-levine-tapped-to-write-logans-run-remake-for-warner-bros.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620162606/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/06/18/bioshocks-ken-levine-tapped-to-write-logans-run-remake-for-warner-bros.aspx|url-status=live|archive-date=June 20, 2013|publisher=Game Informer|access-date=November 20, 2013}} However, he was later dropped from the project.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/simon-kinberg-takes-over-from-ken-levine-on-logans/1100-6429119/|title=Simon Kinberg Takes over from Ken Levine on Logan's Run Script|last=Auty|first=Dan|date=July 24, 2015|work=Gamespot}}

In April 2016, Levine stated he was working with Interlude to write and produce the pilot episode for an interactive, live-action series based on The Twilight Zone, which will be published by CBS.{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/2016/04/ken-levine-twilight-zone/ | title = BIOSHOCK DIRECTOR KEN LEVINE'S NEXT STOP: A TWILIGHT ZONE GAME-FILM HYBRID | first = Chris | last = Kohler | magazine = Wired | date = April 18, 2016 | access-date = April 18, 2016 }}{{Cite web| url = http://www.thewrap.com/twilight-zone-is-getting-an-interactive-reboot-exclusive/ | title = 'Twilight Zone' Interactive Reboot in the Works (Exclusive) | work = The Wrap | first = Joan | last = Solsman | date = April 18, 2016 | access-date = April 18, 2016 }} However as of January 2022, nothing has come to fruition. In 2017, Levine described the project as "in flux".{{Cite web| url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/30/ken-levines-interactive-twilight-zone-movie-might-not-happen | title = Ken Levine's Interactive Twilight Zone Movie Might Not Happen | work = IGN | first = Jordan | last = Sirani | date = March 30, 2017 | access-date = January 10, 2022 }}

Levine is most notable for his conceptualization and work on the BioShock franchise. He and his team worked on BioShock and BioShock Infinite, passing on the opportunity to make BioShock 2.

BioShock is set in 1960, where the player controls a man named Jack who is the sole survivor of a plane crash near a mysterious lighthouse in the mid-Atlantic. Jack finds a bathysphere and takes the submersible down to an underwater city called Rapture, a city that was dedicated to the pursuit of a perfect free market economy. The city has fallen into ruin due to the city's social implosion and Jack must find a way to survive against the crazed inhabitants and escape.{{cite web|title=Bioshock (2007) (VG)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1094581/synopsis|publisher=IMDB|access-date=December 2, 2013}}

BioShock Infinite is set in 1912, where main protagonist Booker DeWitt must travel to Columbia, a flying city that has no fixed location, and rescue a girl named Elizabeth and bring her back to New York. No motivation is given as to why Booker must do this except the cryptic words "Bring us the girl, and wipe away the debt." Booker arrives at Columbia to find an American-Exceptionalist city dedicated to hailing the Founding Fathers that is led by a religious zealot known as Father Comstock.{{cite web |title=Bioshock Infinite |url=https://www.2kgamesinternational.com/sea/game/bioshock-infinite |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111133919/https://www.2kgamesinternational.com/sea/game/bioshock-infinite |archive-date=November 11, 2013 |access-date=December 2, 2013 |publisher=2K Games}}

Levine is known for creating narrative-driven games that explore sociological and philosophical themes. He selects dynamic art styles for use in his games, such as art deco, steampunk and frontierism.

Levine has explored concepts ranging from racial commentary to metaphysics with his games and emphasizes the storytelling aspect of gaming. He has cited Mad Men, the Coen brothers, and Stanley Kubrick as some of his influences.{{cite web|last=Cook|first=Dave|title=Ken Levine writing new game, cites Mad Men, Coen Brothers as influence|date=May 13, 2013|url=http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/13/ken-levine-writing-new-game-cites-mad-men-coen-brothers-as-influence/|publisher=VG24/7|access-date=December 2, 2013}}

While Levine considers himself culturally Jewish, he does not follow Judaism,{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/bioshocks-jewish-roots-run-deep-1827482206 | title = BioShock's Jewish Roots Run Deep | first = Cody | last = Mello-Klein | date = July 10, 2018 | access-date = July 10, 2018 | work = Kotaku }} and considers himself an atheist.{{cite web|last=VanOrd|first=Kevin|title="We Can Kill The Industry With Cynicism" – Ken Levine|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwsjALh2vYA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/JwsjALh2vYA |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=live|work=Gamespot|date=March 20, 2013 |access-date=March 20, 2013}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|title=Is controversy the main selling point of BioShock: Infinite?|first=David|last=Jenkins|url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/22/sold-on-the-bioshock-factor-3554071/|access-date=June 3, 2013|work=Metro|date=March 22, 2013}}

{{Reflist}}

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• {{Twitter}}
• {{moby developer|6832|Ken Levine}}
• {{IMDb name|1686028|Ken Levine}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008013318/http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6179423.html Ken Levine on the success of BioShock]
• [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4082/ken_levine_on_studio_culture_from_.php Gamasutra Interview: Ken Levine on Studio Culture]

{{Ken Levine}}

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