2K Games announced today
that it has reached an agreement for BioShock®, the
universally acclaimed smash-hit video game, to be
developed as a feature film by Universal Pictures.
2K Games, whose 2K Boston and 2K Australia studios
developed BioShock, is a video game publishing label
of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
The prospect of bringing this blockbuster game to
life has attracted not only a major studio, but top
Hollywood talent. Gore Verbinski, director of the
Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, is slated to
direct and produce the BioShock movie. John Logan,
Academy Award-nominated writer of Gladiator, The
Aviator and Sweeney Todd, is in talks to do the
screenplay.
The expected release date and terms of the
agreement were not disclosed.
An original property developed by 2K Games,
BioShock is one of the most successful new
interactive entertainment franchises to launch in
recent years. A critical and consumer hit, BioShock
has sold more than 2 million units worldwide since
its release in August 2007. A sequel to the game,
BioShock 2, is planned for a release in 2009.
"We are excited that 2K Games’ vision for
BioShock will be carried forward in a new medium,"
said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two. "BioShock
has been hailed as one of the most highly cinematic
and richly plotted titles in interactive
entertainment, making it extremely well-suited to
film. In partnering with Universal and Gore
Verbinski, we have assembled a team that respects
the uniqueness of BioShock and will translate it
into a powerful movie experience."
Mr. Zelnick added, "Our ability to attract a
major studio and unparalleled creative team speaks
volumes about the strength of our BioShock
franchise. It also demonstrates how Take-Two is
delivering value based on our strategy of creating
and owning our industry’s most powerful intellectual
property."
Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K Games, noted,
"BioShock fans appreciate the depth and complexity
of the game, and our partnership with Gore Verbinski
will introduce the world of Rapture to an even wider
audience. In addition to his impressive body of
work, Gore is an avid video gamer and true fan of
BioShock. That was extremely important to us in
deciding to move forward with this project."
BioShock: Triumph of the Imagination
Considered to be one the finest games in the
history of interactive entertainment, BioShock
unfolds as a deep and exciting adventure. Barely
surviving a plane crash, the player lands in icy
uncharted waters and discovers an undersea city
called Rapture, a failed utopia whose citizens had
embraced genetic engineering before the city
descended into pure anarchy. Power and greed have
run amok and the city has succumbed to civil war. It
is a gripping game that forces the player to make
complex moral choices. Fans have embraced BioShock’s
mysterious world filled with powerful technology and
fascinating characters. BioShock is also renowned
for its rich visual detail depicting a gorgeous Art
Deco world set deep beneath the sea.
BioShock has earned some of the highest ratings
and strongest accolades in video game history. It is
one of the best-rated titles for Xbox 360™ video
game and entertainment system from Microsoft, with a
MetaCritic rating of 96. Numerous organizations
bestowed "Game of the Year" status on BioShock in
2007, including The Associated Press, the British
Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Game
Informer, Spike TV's Video Game Awards, G4's X-Play,
Amazon.com, The Houston Chronicle and Paste
Magazine. Additionally, BioShock ranked among the
top 10 titles on many other "Best of 2007" award
lists, including The New York Times, Time Magazine
and Maxim. BioShock was internally developed by 2K
Boston and 2K Australia and is owned by the 2K Games
label of Take-Two Interactive Software.
About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two
Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer,
marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive
entertainment software games for the PC,
PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer
entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
system, Xbox 360® and Xbox® video game and
entertainment systems from Microsoft, Wii™, Nintendo
GameCube™, Nintendo DS™ and Game Boy® Advance. The
Company publishes and develops products through its
wholly owned labels Rockstar Games, 2K Games, 2K
Sports and 2K Play, and distributes software,
hardware and accessories in North America through
its Jack of All Games subsidiary. Take-Two's common
stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol
TTWO. For more corporate and product information
please visit our website at