BioShock Infinite Brings on Rod Fergusson

When working on a game as highly anticipated as BioShock Infinite there are sure to be bumps along the road to release, but usually those problems tend to be kept as tightly under wraps as the game itself. Unfortunately, when several months go by without much in the way of new details being revealed, fans begin to ask questions, and eventually the entire outfit begins to tear at the seams.

That's exactly what is happening with BioShock Infinite, things are beginning to unravel and gamers will soon start to wonder whether the game will ever hit its February 2013 release date, which was pushed back from an earlier October slate. Chief among those concerns are several reports of key personnel departing Infinite, and sources claiming that the game's tumultuous development has resulted in the project losing focus numerous times.

Earlier this year we postulated that Infinite had been delayed into February in order to accommodate a multiplayer mode, and now Irrational Games has confirmed multiplayer was in the works, but after creating two unsuccessful modes, it's been cancelled. All of the time devoted to adding to the longevity of Infinite, largely considered to be a single player experience, has now been wasted.

Ken Levine, the face of BioShock and Irrational, himself has spoken with Kotaku in a lengthy phone call and did his best to assuage fan fears, saying that the project is still "on track" for its release. He wouldn't, however, comment on a recent Irrational Games employee acquisition, that has now been confirmed.

That new Irrational team member in question is none other than Rod Fergusson, the now former Director of Production for Gears of War studio Epic Games. Along with Cliff Bleszinski, Fergusson served as the face for the company's many series, but now he will help Infinite make its way to the finish line. Fergusson took to Twitter to confirm the news and to express his enthusiasm for Infinite.

Rod Fergusson Joining Irrational Games

Despite a spectacular showing at E3 2011, one that even earned it Game Rant's Best of Show, BioShock Infinite was clearly not in the best of states. Kotaku's sources claim that while the basic ideas of the game — Elizabeth's time manipulation, the skyhook, and the struggle between the Vox Populi and the Founders — were there, the team was struggling to bring all those elements together.

Along with Fergusson, 2K Marin's Jordan Thomas has been working "on loan" to help ensure those BioShock roots permeate Infinite. For every major player that has departed Irrational, Levine still believes that plenty of key personnel have remained on staff.

BioShock Infinite Development Problems

Despite being a no-show at this year's E3 the assumption was that BioShock Infinite was still on track to hit its release date, but with all of the recent developments it's hard not to think the team at Irrational isn't in some dire straits. If by year's end we haven't heard more about this project, it stands to reason that a February release isn't going to happen.

How do you feel about Epic Games' Rod Fergusson leaving to join Irrational Games? Will BioShock Infinite hit its release date?

BioShock Infinite might be releasing February 2013 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Source: Kotaku, Rod Fergusson