Upcoming Ken Levine Game Judas Reveals New Details

The developers at Ghost Story Games have shared new development details on the studio’s upcoming game, Judas. The development of Judas is ongoing, and the team has taken this opportunity to further detail how Judas will differ from BioShock.

Ken Levine, the creator of the BioShock series, is the director of the upcoming game Judas. Fans of the BioShock series have been eager to learn more about Judas ever since it was first revealed, as Ken Levine hasn’t released a new game since 2014. While fans of Ken Levine’s games are eager for more of what they’ve come to expect from the director’s works, there will be some significant differences between the BioShock franchise and Judas.

Bioshock Creator and Ghost Story Games Devs Talk Judas

In a new dev log, the team shared some progress regarding the development of Judas. The team has described the core design element of Judas as being the dynamic narrative, whereas in BioShock, it was the bond between Big Daddy and Little Sister or Elizabeth in BioShock Infinite. Judas’ lead narrative designer, Drew Mitchell, indicates that one of the biggest differences in the game is made evident by the title alone, as the game is named for the main character. Mitchell described Booker and Jack as “strangers in a strange land,” which put them in a similar boat to the player, who got to experience the world of BioShock for the first time. Judas, however, is a native of the generational ship Mayflower, and is described as a defined and vocal character that’s directly tied to the events that set the game into motion.

Another major shift is the environment the game is set in. The log points out that Rapture and Columbia in BioShock “existed as they were from their foundings,” but as the Mayflower is a generational ship, it’s experienced significant changes since it began its voyage. Nathan Phail-Liff, the studio art director, explains that the ship initially had a practical and conventional design, but that over the years, the ship has changed as conflicts have arisen between groups onboard. The ship will reflect these changes and disparities, allowing players to discover the history of the ship by exploring the world around them.

The story, characters, and even the world of Judas are dynamic, with disparity between groups made evident by things like different types of quarters. This ranges from the VIP Pilgrim Quarters, which are fancy with high ceilings and large windows, while the Violator Quarters are at the bottom of the ship, with a darker and grim environment. However, rather than setting all of this up manually, the team taught “the system how to be a storyteller and interior decorator” through a ruleset the team “trusts” to populate the world of the game. This will supposedly make the world more believable and reactive in a way “never seen in our previous games.”

While much of Judas remains mysterious, this isn’t the first time that the developers have compared it to BioShock and indicated a significant difference between them. Previously, Ken Levine described BioShock as “corridors” in comparison to Judas, calling BioShock “a long corridor with a bunch of trigger points” that cause the story to progress. Judas, comparatively, is more ambitious, and gives players more agency. Though BioShock and Judas are both considered first-person shooter games, Judas will also contain roguelike elements that will impact both Judas herself and the ship around her.

Unfortunately, Judas missed its expected release window of March 2025, and still doesn’t have a release date at this time. The good news is that it seems that development of the game is still progressing well, and the team seems to be excited and satisfied with what they have created so far. However, it could still be a while before players are able to actually try out the latest Ken Levine game for themselves.

Source: Ghost Story Games