Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you will no doubt have heard that Irrational's Bioshock Infinite has been delayed until February 26th, 2013. Irrational games has also decided to pull the game from this years E3 as well, which is something of a shame because Infinite is shaping up to be one of the best games in recent memory. Fans are already frustrated, but there can actually be some positives. In fact, when a game is delayed there are often numerous reasons that developers give on why that is so but here is our list of three reasons why we think Bioshock Infinite has been delayed.
1. Multiplayer
Just like everything else gaming has changed drastically over the years, and one of the most fundamental changes has been the inclusion of multiplayer in a plethora of games (some of which didn't need it). You might be thinking to yourself that Bioshock Infinite is a game that does not need a multiplayer component and I would actually agree with that opinion - for me Bioshock has always been a single player driven experience. However, in today's era of gaming, if it doesn't have a multiplayer bullet point on the back of the box some consumers will be turned off. Consumers think of value and when they see a 4-6 hour sp game with a robust mp and a 10-12 hr game with no mp, they may lean towards the game which offers better value for their money. This also makes sense for Irrational games: game developers are always trying to take a bite out of the used game market and by including multiplayer they are also including an online pass which would generate 10 dollars straight to them on a used game purchase. Also, the groundwork for multiplayer is there - while Irrational Games did not make Bioshock 2, the game had a multiplayer component (although not the best) that they could use as a template.
As we reported, recent news of a jobs post by the developers suggested that they are indeed adding a multiplayer mode to Bioshock Infinite. But the question will remain for some as to whether it is necessary...