Irrational Games Renamed

Irrational Games, the studio behind the highly-anticipated FPS BioShock, has been renamed.

Take-Two Interactive, which purchased Irrational in January 2006, announced today that the developer would take on new names for each of its studios: 2K Boston for the company’s headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, and 2K Australia for its Canberra studio. The change is meant to reflect the studio’s deeper integration into the 2K Games brand.

“Irrational Games is widely recognized as one of the most innovative studios in the world,” said 2K President Christoph Hartmann, explaining his company’s desire to eliminate one of the most widely recognized and innovative studio brands in the world from its stable. “Following their incredible efforts in bringing BioShock to life, we are proud to make the newly renamed Irrational Games studios a cornerstone of our game development family.”

“We’re proud to be part of the 2K Games family and enjoy the new opportunities and artistic freedoms this strengthened relationship provides,” said Ken Levine, 2K Boston President and Creative Director, as well as a founding member of Irrational. “The name change signifies our growing position as a central part of 2K Games, and we plan to ensure our future titles continue to set new standards of quality and innovation for the industry.”

Founded in 1997 by Levine, Jonathan Chey and Robert Fermier, all former employees of the defunct Looking Glass Studios, Irrational quickly garnered acclaim for its first release, the FPS-RPG hybrid System Shock 2, developed in conjunction with Looking Glass. Following that, the studio developed Freedom Force, Tribes: Vengeance and SWAT 4, as well as the recently-gold “spiritual successor” to System Shock 2, BioShock.