When gamers think of iconic franchises from the last console generation, BioShock is one of the series that immediately springs to mind. The first game was one of the best games of its era, and the overall trilogy tied clever storytelling to strong societal themes, brought together with some shocking twists and interesting – if occasionally jarring – gunplay. Culminating in BioShock Infinite, the trilogy is seen by many as being amongst the best sets of games available on old gen hardware.

It was surprising, then, when Irrational Games said that it was winding down to work on new projects, cutting most staff in the process. Although publisher 2K has stated that BioShock will continue in some form, some of the franchise’s old development team instead decided to buddy up once more on a brand new project. The rag-tag group of developers put their heads together to create a highly ambitious and experimental science fiction title, dubbed The Black Glove.

Unfortunately, it looks as though the project is not going to see the light of day – at least for the time being. Day For Night Games, the studio created by the ex-Irrational developers, has released a statement on its official website revealing that work on The Black Glove has been halted. Joe Fielder, the creative director of Day For Night Games, stated that the studio has “decided to shelve The Black Glove for now.”

Fans of high-concept gaming may be disappointed in this news, as The Black Glove had the potential to bring some incredibly interesting ideas to the world of video games. The title was going to be set in a bizarre 1920s theater named Equinox, and tasked the player with helping to create three artists’ new exhibits by using the titular black glove to alter the past itself. The game promised to be a truly surreal gaming experience, and one that seemed well suited to the creators of BioShock Infinite.

Completion of the title was not to be, however, and the studio failed in its attempts to crowdfund the project. The Black Glove received less than 50% of its $500,000 Kickstarter goal, and although a demo was created for PAX East and GDC, the title was unable to find a suitable publisher. With Day For Night Games losing staff to full-time work offered elsewhere, The Black Glove is now being indefinitely put on hold.

That is not to say that the game, or at least its ideas, will never see the light of day. The developer’s statement gives gamers interested in the title a glimmer of hope that development could one day restart, or that a similar project could use the ideas put forward by The Black Glove. “Good ideas don’t have expiration dates,” said Fielder, in a lesson learned from legendary Thief designer Paul Neurath. “We intend to return to The Black Glove later when we can do it right.” Here’s hoping Day For Night Games can do some time-travelling of their own, and can one day return to rekindle this ambitious project.

Source: Day For Night Games