Killing a main character in Baldur's Gate 3 on his second playthrough had a massive impact on how BioShock creator Ken Levine approaches new game Judas

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter

We've been waiting over a decade now for Judas, the next game from BioShock mastermind Ken Levine. It's another first-person affair, but with different ambitions on the storytelling front, favoring player-choice and such, an endeavor he's found further inspiration for in Larian's Baldur's Gate 3.

Speaking IGN, he talked about having two contrasting play-throughs of the hit fantasy RPG. "Playing Baldur's Gate, I really understood the power of that," Levine says, referencing the depth of choice-driven storytelling on offer. "I played a second playthrough, and like one of the main characters got killed very early."

The thing is, he only understood that character's significance because he'd already completed the threequel once. Otherwise, he'd just think this is how things are meant to be.

Latest Videos From Ken Levine on BioShock, Judas, and the Evolution of Game Design | IGN 30 Icons - YouTube Watch On

"I only knew he was a major character from my previous playthrough, and then I did something different, and he was gone, and I saw his dead body there," Levine explains.

That kind of narrative possibility isn't something Levine's favored previously. BioShock and BioShock: Infinite are both mostly linear, with certain forks in the road that offer binary good or evil choices. System Shock isn't much different.

He's championed the "narrative lego" of Judas, the debut release from his new studio Ghost Story Games,a number of times before. It all sounds appealing, and savvy considering the popularity of Baldur's Gate 3, but it's something I'm eager to see in action before getting too excited.

At the very least, I'm now wary of what can happen the second I get control of someone in the project. It seems like everyone's lives will be in my hands in one way or another. At least I won't have Big Daddies to deal with.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Baldur's Gate 3 fans behind OG Baldur's Gate remake mod revamp Candlekeep to give it "the massive visual overhaul it truly deserves"

CATEGORIES

Anthony McGlynnContributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout LATEST ARTICLES

1. 110 Best Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 RPGs to play in 2026
2. 2Snake Eater-like third-person mode found hidden in Metal Gear Solid 2 HD Collection 15 years later
3. 3Saros selling worse than Returnal, analyst estimates, as it competes with Crimson Desert, Resident Evil Requiem and more
4. 4Roll an Anime codes (May 2026) and how to redeem them for a free character plus boosts
5. 5Assassin's Creed Hexe setting potentially leaked as witchy German city, Ubisoft fans pleased