Rewrites, Crunch, and Gore Verbinski

Levine also talked about the role of writers in videogames, contrasting the current model of the writer throwing a script in and walking away from the project to the movies model, in which the script is the result of extensive conversation and contact with the director and actors. It’s experience that Levine gained in working in movie writing before videogames, and also working with Gore Verbinski and scriptwriter John Logan on the forthcoming BioShock film. “As creative director on BioShock I saw everything,” he said, explaining how seeing everything meant he could riff off new elements in the level and art design and the level and art designers could riff off what he had written.

Working with Verbinski on the BioShock film, however, has shown Levine the extent to which the executive levels of the movie industry lack a close understanding of videogames. “They try to understand how we do our thing, but they don’t really understand other than through their kids and watching clips on YouTube. They can’t do what you need to do to get through a game,” he said, though he concedes that many junior execs are hardcore gamers, often holding meetings through Xbox Live. “We have a healthy respect for each other’s challenges, and that will lead to better movies and better games.”

Lead programmer Chris Kline explained how the technical systems that run under the game had to be rewritten several times as the project evolved and grew. “It was a real strain to make this game,” said Levine. He recalled that during the final crunch period he made a speech to the team encouraging them to keep faith in the game by understanding how special it was to still get messages from lovers of System Shock 2 10 years after it was released. “I had to ask them to work really hard and they had to try and trust me,” he said.

Asked whether Take-Two’s purchase of Irrational Games in 2006 had negatively affected the development of BioShock, Levine said, “no way”, explaining that the creative spirit generated by Sam and Dan Houser at Rockstar meant that it was an environment that had great faith in its products and had a “lack of taking bullshit.” “Take-Two is a unique company for us because there integrity is important.”