BioShock revealed for iOS

Last week 2K began teasing something to do with BioShock. Many of us thought they were ready to continue with the franchise after the closure of Irrational Games earlier this year. Not only did their announcement yesterday shoot those rumors down in flames, they revealed a port that no one really saw coming.

The original BioShock is coming to iOS devices. That’s the full first title set in Rapture, which was released on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in 2007. That says something about how far phones have come in seven years, but also something about 2K’s strategy to port big AAA titles to mobile devices.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown was one of the first 2K titles to make the jump to mobile, with a clever downgrade in the visual department. BioShock isn’t going to be any different. The content is all there, but you shouldn’t expect to see Rapture in all it’s gloomy glory. 2K announced that the “premium-priced” title will release on a specific list of Apple devices, chalking it up to the demanding nature of the title.

You’ll be able to experience Rapture again on the iPad Air, iPad 4 and iPad Mini 2. The port will also reach iPhones, with the 5, 5C and 5S being the only smartphones the game will be supported on. XCOM: Enemy Unknown retailed for $20 when it launched on iOS, so expect BioShock to fall somewhere around there.

That immediately presents a problem. BioShock regularly retails for as low as $5 during sales on PC and console, which makes this iOS port rather irrelevant. It also seems that touch controls will probably impact the gameplay experience (surprise surprise), something which has already been confirmed by some early hands-on impressions.

It’s still amazing to see a title of this scale running on a mobile device, even if it looks worse than the 2007 original release. Check out the comparison video (courtesy of IGN) below to see the game in action.

Last Updated: August 5, 2014