Gamers, get ready for a blast from the past. Ken Levine, the legendary mind behind games like BioShock, is gearing up to deliver something truly special with his next big project, “Judas.” It seems Levine and his team are doubling down on what made classic single-player experiences so captivating. Forget microtransactions or endless online services. This game aims to be a complete story, just like the good old days.
Levine recently spoke about “Judas” during a “Deep Dive” interview that also touched on classics like “System Shock 2” and his studio, Ghost Story Games. He made it crystal clear: “Judas” is designed as a pure, single-player shooter. Players will buy the game and get the full experience. There won’t be any “live service” elements or online modes to worry about. The focus here is entirely on telling a compelling story from start to finish.
“I grew up playing single-player games,” Levine shared in an interview with Eurogamer. “This was long before in-game purchases became a thing. I’m not here to say if those systems are good or bad. That’s just not my path. I know the games I love to play and the ones I want to create. ‘Judas’ is absolutely one of those old-school games.”
This approach is a breath of fresh air in today’s gaming scene. Levine emphasized that when you purchase “Judas,” you truly own the entire game. “Our goal is to serve up content and take players on a journey,” he explained. It’s a bold move, especially with how much it costs to make games these days.
Levine feels incredibly fortunate for the opportunity. “We’re very lucky,” he noted. “Not many game development teams get to work this way. Games need a lot of money to be made. We were lucky to find a company that trusted us enough to say, ‘Okay, you’ve been doing this for a long time. It will take a reasonable amount of funding. We won’t force you to add anything extra to the game.'” This kind of creative freedom allows Ghost Story Games to focus purely on their vision.
While excitement for “Judas” is building, fans will need to be patient. There’s no release date set for the game yet. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to dive into Ken Levine’s next big adventure.