Irrational Games, the studio behind the superb Bioshock series of games, is closing down. Ken Levine, the owner of the studio and the mind behind the Bioshock stories is in the process of “winding down” the studio, according to an article on Polygon.

Levine wrote a lengthy post on the official  Irrational Games blog detailing his decision. Part of the post reads

“I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it. I’ll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavour at Take-Two.  That is going to mean parting ways with all but about fifteen members of the Irrational team.”

Fans of the studio are probably wondering what’s next for Levine, and they will be happy to know that he’s going to be focusing more on “narrative-driven games for the core gamer that are highly replayable”. He plans to focus entirely on the digital delivery of said games, but he’s not talking specifics yet.

This doesn’t mean the end of games set in the Bioshock universe, though. Levine also mentioned that he has passed the reins of the Bioshock franchise, which has earned over half a billion dollars in revenue throughout its lifespan, to developer 2K.

It’s with a heavy heart that we bid Irrational Games adieu, but with any luck Ken Levine’s plans to focus on games driven by “replayable narratives” will result in something even more special than lost paradises set under the sea and in the clouds.