BioShock director says canceled co-op survival horror shooter is "the best game we never got to make"

Former BioShock director Ken Levine has labeled one canned game the "best game" developer Irrational never got to make.

Last week, the Twitter account 'Obscure Game Aesthetics' posted a series of screenshots from Division 9, a canceled game that was in the works at BioShock studio Irrational. Levine has now responded to the screenshots and info in the tweet just below, labeling Division 9 the "best game we never got to make."

This, no doubt, is the best game we never got to make. https://t.co/6Hf6tOyCK1

— levine on November 11, 2023

If this is your first time hearing about Division 9, I can hardly blame you - it's pretty old history at this point. Originally in the works around 2005 from the team behind SWAT 4, Division 9 would've taken place in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, where players banded together to collect resources to build a base and rescue survivors.

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As Obscure Horror Aesthetics notes, Division 9 featured "many similarities to Left 4 Dead," Valve's modern classic shooter, although it was conceptualized years earlier. In fact, Division 9 would barely make it beyond that stage before getting shut down, only ever existing as a proof of concept demo for studio management before it was canned.

Sure, Left 4 Dead is one obvious reference to draw a comparison to, but the description of Division 9 sounds oddly like State of Decay, albeit in a first-person perspective instead of playing from a top-down view. Still, establishing bases and rescuing survivors during a zombie apocalypse is something we're pretty familiar with in the genre at this point.

Irrational could sadly never deliver on this theme, but maybe State of Decay 3 can patch that zombie management-shaped hole in our hearts, whenever it eventually releases.

Meanwhile, Levine and company at Ghost Story Games continue beavering away on Judas, which will release by March 2025.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.