I think Ken Levine is a great developer, and I'm sure his newest ventures will end up on a number of GOTYs throughout the next few years, but I can't help but shake the feeling that this is an absurdly selfish move.
To open a new, smaller studio in an effort to refocus is nothing new in the games industry, but to dissolve one's own studio--not just assets, but employees--is hard to rationalize. While I'm sure many of the Irrational guys will find reemployment because of their Bioshock (and perhaps System Shock) credentials, not all will, and that's truly disappointing.
Obviously Levine has the prerogative to do what he will with his company, but I hesitate to think that there couldn't have been a better solution for all those involved. I get that the Bioshock thing was weighing him down creatively to some extent, but I'm not sure creative freedom should come at the expense of hundreds of jobs. That's just my opinion, and some will disagree, but I couldn't see myself casting out that many employees because I wanted to do something else.
In any case, it's a shame, and I wish the Irrational developers luck in finding new employment.
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