From the earliest days of their time under 2K, Bioshock developer Irrational Games worked on a reboot of Microprose’s XCOM series. For several years and over various iterations the team would develop it into an FPS game alongside 2K Australia (formerly Irrational Australia) and 2K Marin. Despite this, in the aftermath several studios would be closed and the project would be reworked into The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.
0:00
0:45 Part One: Atlas & Apollo
5:39 Part Two: Foo Fighter
7:53 Part Three: Xenoshock
15:05 Part Four: Enemy Within
19:27 Part Five: From Novato With Love
SOURCES:
Schreier, Jason. “Project Icarus” and “The Case of the Missing Studio.” Press Reset, 2021, pp. 45 – 73 and pp. 101–129
https://bookshop.org/p/books/press-reset-ruin-and-recovery-in-the-video-game-industry-jason-schreier/daf7affe690113fe?ean=9781538735497&next=t
PC Gamer – Irrational Devs Look Back at Their XCOM FPS
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/exploring-the-twisted-road-of-irrationals-doomed-xcom-game-from-fighting-aliens-the-size-of-entire-city-blocks-to-a-multiplayer-mode-where-you-could-be-the-aliens/
Polygon Retrospective – The Many Faces of XCOM Declassified
https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/19/4614410/xcom-the-bureau-development-2006-2013/
IGN -The Evolution of The Bureau
https://www.ign.com/videos/the-evolution-of-the-bureau-xcom-declassified
Developer Diary – Art
The Bureau Interview – Eurogamer
How XCOM Got Its name
https://www.polygon.com/2021/3/9/22314308/how-xcom-got-its-name/
The History of XCOM
Polygon Retrospective – Firaxis, Jake Solomon and XCOM Enemy Unknown
https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/1/31/3928710/making-of-xcoms-jake-solomon-firaxis-sid-meier/
OXM XCOM Cover Story
https://library.gamehistory.org/repositories/2/archival_objects/13997
XCOM Announcement
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xcom-fps-invading-360s-pcs/1100-6258092/
Bioshock Development
https://www.eurogamer.net/the-true-story-of-bioshock
History of Irrational
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-story-of-irrational-the-studio-that-shut-down-to-rediscover-its-roots/
Purchased by 2K (Firaxis purchased a few months prior)
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/take-two-acquires-irrational-games
Formation of Irrational Aus
https://web.archive.org/web/20010203123200/http://irrationalgames.com/news_archived.cfm
Ken Levine Profile
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2013/11/26/ken-levine-profile-video-games-bioshock-infinite/3/
Ken Levine Games Radar/Edge Career Retrospective
https://www.gamesradar.com/games/bioshock-infinite-may-not-have-been-the-thing-i-wanted-but-that-doesnt-necessarily-mean-it-wasnt-the-thing-the-audience-wanted-ken-levine-talks-edge-through-his-collected-works/
Gamespot – System Shock 2 Retrospective
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/system-shock-2-retrospective/1100-6109881/
Infogrammes sells Civ, XCOM to 2K
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/infogrames-posts-loss-sells-i-civilization-i-franchise
Rock Paper Shotgun, Beyond Civilization
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/beyond-civilization-discovering-firaxis
https://web.archive.org/web/20130531030452/http://www.edge-online.com/features/making-bioshock/
Irrational gets 2K Rebrand
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/irrational-gets-2k-rebrand
2K Marin Now In Charge of Bioshock
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zelnick-2k-marin-now-responsible-for-bioshock-franchise
Bioshock 2 Developer Closed
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/sources-bureau-xcom-bioshock-2-dev-essentially-closed
Cloud Chamber Games
https://www.eurogamer.net/bioshock-in-development-at-new-2k-studio-cloud-chamber
Bioshock 2 Development
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/beyond-the-sea-devs-look-back-at-the-influential-i-bioshock-2-i-
2K Australia Closed
https://web.archive.org/web/20180219090134/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/04/2k-australia-in-canberra-closes-its-doors/
E3 2011 Trailer
E3 2011 Presentation
E3 2010 Giant Bomb Interview
IGN XCOM Roundtable
XCOM Returns:
https://www.wired.com/2010/04/xcom/
XCOM Wired Impression
https://web.archive.org/web/20150325223528/https://www.wired.com/2010/06/xcom-impressions/
Spoony and Angry Joe Video
The Ray Charles Quote
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