Ken Levine's 'Judas' Goes Old School: No Live Service Shenanigans Here, Mate!
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Ken Levine's 'Judas' is bucking the live service trend, promising a full single-player experience that lets you buy the game once and actually own it. Sounds like a refreshing dose of old-school gaming, eh?
Right, so Ken Levine, the bloke who brought us BioShock, is back with a new game called 'Judas.' And, fair dinkum, it sounds like he's having a bit of a cheeky rebellion against the modern gaming landscape. After 11 years since BioShock Infinite, you'd reckon he'd be chasing the live service gravy train, wouldn't you? But nah, Levine's gone and declared that 'Judas' is going old-school.
What does that mean, exactly? Well, according to a recent interview with Nightdive's Lawrence Sonntag (cheers, GamesRadar+), 'Judas' is all about that single-player experience, focusing on the narrative and transporting you, the player, into its world. None of that online guff or constant monetisation trying to squeeze your wallet dry. Think BioShock with a new coat of paint, but without the ever-present temptation to spend more dosh after you've already bought the game.
"I grew up playing single-player games," Levine said, "And I grew up before [...] certain types of monetisation existed." He's not dissing games with live service elements, mind you. It's more a case of sticking to his guns and making the kind of game *he* wants to make. "Judas is a very old-school game. You buy the game and you get the whole thing. There's no online component. There's no live service, because everything we do is in service of telling the story and transporting the player somewhere."
And, look, you've got to respect that, eh? Especially in a world where every other game is trying to be the next 'Fortnite' or 'Destiny.' It's like Levine's casting a spell of defiance against the endless stream of battle passes and cosmetic skins. "We're very fortunate," he continues, "This is no diss on any developers who have done that, because look, games are expensive to make, and we're very fortunate to work at a company where they believe in us enough that they say, 'Okay, you've been working on this thing for a long time, it's gonna cost a reasonable amount of money, and we're not gonna push any of that stuff on you.'"
Now, 'Judas' was initially expected to drop around April 2025, but we're still waiting on a proper release date. But hey, at least we know what we're getting: a complete game, upfront, no strings attached. Which, in this day and age, feels like a bloody miracle.
Tags: Ken Levine, Judas, BioShock, Single-Player, Gaming News
Original article: Eurogamer