BioShock’s Ken Levine on expanding replayability through DLC

When you’ve got a game like 2K Boston and 2K Australia‘s BioShock (Microsoft Xbox 360, PC) that did things right, 2K Boston’s lead designer Ken Levine believes expanding replayability is the way downloadable content should go. In an interview, Levine said he wants the BioShock experience to be broader if there will be any DLC.

“I’m not a really big fan of expanding things just by linearly adding to the experience,” he told Games for Windows Magazine. He cited Diablo II as an example, the classic PC action RPG title that was both enhanced and extended by the Lord of Destruction expansion.

To Levine, an expansion would have to improve original content and add replayability instead of just adding new episodes to the game’s storyline. He said that “a lot of plasmids got cut” before the game went gold, so we could at least hope to find those available for download in the future.

“I think that certainly BioShock‘s combat experience is great, but it could be broader. I’m a little more confused as far as how to expand the narrative experience,” Levine continued. Looks like we’re in for some waiting before any official announcement from 2K Boston on BioShock DLC. Then again, maybe it’ll come as a surprise.

Buy: [Bioshock (Games for Windows)]
Buy: [Bioshock (Xbox 360)]

When you’ve got a game like 2K Boston and 2K Australia‘s BioShock (Microsoft Xbox 360, PC) that did things right, 2K Boston’s lead designer Ken Levine believes expanding replayability is the way downloadable content should go. In an interview, Levine said he wants the BioShock experience to be broader if there will be any DLC.

“I’m not a really big fan of expanding things just by linearly adding to the experience,” he told Games for Windows Magazine. He cited Diablo II as an example, the classic PC action RPG title that was both enhanced and extended by the Lord of Destruction expansion.

To Levine, an expansion would have to improve original content and add replayability instead of just adding new episodes to the game’s storyline. He said that “a lot of plasmids got cut” before the game went gold, so we could at least hope to find those available for download in the future.

“I think that certainly BioShock‘s combat experience is great, but it could be broader. I’m a little more confused as far as how to expand the narrative experience,” Levine continued. Looks like we’re in for some waiting before any official announcement from 2K Boston on BioShock DLC. Then again, maybe it’ll come as a surprise.

Buy: [Bioshock (Games for Windows)]
Buy: [Bioshock (Xbox 360)]