Kotaku is reporting that two of the rumored multiplayer modes to be found in Irrational’s hotly-anticipated FPS Bioshock Infinite did indeed exist, but that they have since been cancelled.
The report says that two co-op modes have been axed over the course of the title’s development. The first was a tower defense-type game which would have shrunk players and put them in an “old-timey arcade machine” to fight off waves of toy-like enemies.
The second reportedly went by the name “Spec-Ops,” and was similar to the mode of the same name in the Modern Warfare series. There, players would’ve teamed up to take out baddies in levels inspired by the single-player campaign.
Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine declined to comment on the speculation, instead saying, “As I’ve always said we are experimenting with things, and only if they are good enough will we put them in the game.”
This potentially troublesome news comes just a day after learning that two key members of Bioshock Infinite’s dev team, director of product development Tim Gerritson and art director Nate Wells, parted ways with the studio within the last month.
Levine addressed the departures, saying, “In a company of 200 people you’re going to have turnover. We never like to see a guy like Nate leave because he’s been here for a long time but it’s been 13 years and I think sometimes people want to spread their wings. I’m not going to stop people. We love Nate and I think we all remain friends. After 13 years he sort of finished his work on BioShock Infinite, as you will be able to tell when you see the game again… I think Nate’s moving on to something else.”
Even still, Levine says that he is working on this next project with an “amazing” team.
“As far as the team itself, the lead artist, the art director, the creative director, the lead effects artist, the senior sound guy, the lead programer and the lead AI programmer from BioShock 1 are all on BioShock Infinite. I don’t think there’s a single senior BioShock team member that isn’t here, which I think is amazing and a testament to their commitment to the studio. And there are a ton of amazing people who weren’t on BioShock 1 that are on BioShock Infinite.”
Bioshock Infinite is still set to release on February 26, 2013 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. A Wii U release has also been announced, although when that will come to fruition is still unknown.