'BioShock' for iOS is officially dead, developer 2K reveals
Following a hyped release in 2014, and a subsequent removal from the App Store due to compatibility issues, developer 2K has revealed its lauded first person shooter "BioShock" is unlikely to make a return to Apple's portable devices.
After promising work on a pending fix in September 2015, 2K last week quietly reworded the BioShock for iOS support webpage to reflect an apparent change in policy. It seems the company no longer plans to issue the revision that would have delivered support for iOS 8.4 and beyond.
Released in 2014, BioShock for iOS promised a complete port of the original title first released for Windows PCs and Xbox in 2007. Fans of the franchise were expectedly excited at the prospect of revisiting the world of Rapture -- and potentially playing sequel titles -- on-the-go, but initial reviews fell flat.
BioShock mysteriously vanished from the iOS App Store after the release of iOS 8.4 in June 2015, a concerning development for customers who shelled out $15 for rights to download the game on their various devices. 2K ultimately issued a statement some three months later -- after the launch of iOS 9 -- saying that while BioShock is incompatible with iOS 8.4 and above, a forthcoming update would restore the title to full functionality.
It seems 2K is no longer interested in extending the life of the iOS port.
"In June 2015, BioShock became incompatible with iOS, following Apple's version 8.4 update. As a result, the game was removed from the App Store and is no longer supported," the company's support page now reads.
As noted by a former PocketGamer editor who goes by the handle Killercow, and subsequently reported by Digital Trends, a previous version of 2K's statement said BioShock had been "temporarily removed" from the App Store.
For customers, the finality of 2K's update means the game will remain incompatible with devices running anything newer than iOS 8.3. When Apple issued iOS 8.4, its latest-generation devices were iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air 2.
After promising work on a pending fix in September 2015, 2K last week quietly reworded the BioShock for iOS support webpage to reflect an apparent change in policy. It seems the company no longer plans to issue the revision that would have delivered support for iOS 8.4 and beyond.
Released in 2014, BioShock for iOS promised a complete port of the original title first released for Windows PCs and Xbox in 2007. Fans of the franchise were expectedly excited at the prospect of revisiting the world of Rapture -- and potentially playing sequel titles -- on-the-go, but initial reviews fell flat.
BioShock mysteriously vanished from the iOS App Store after the release of iOS 8.4 in June 2015, a concerning development for customers who shelled out $15 for rights to download the game on their various devices. 2K ultimately issued a statement some three months later -- after the launch of iOS 9 -- saying that while BioShock is incompatible with iOS 8.4 and above, a forthcoming update would restore the title to full functionality.
It seems 2K is no longer interested in extending the life of the iOS port.
"In June 2015, BioShock became incompatible with iOS, following Apple's version 8.4 update. As a result, the game was removed from the App Store and is no longer supported," the company's support page now reads.
As noted by a former PocketGamer editor who goes by the handle Killercow, and subsequently reported by Digital Trends, a previous version of 2K's statement said BioShock had been "temporarily removed" from the App Store.
For customers, the finality of 2K's update means the game will remain incompatible with devices running anything newer than iOS 8.3. When Apple issued iOS 8.4, its latest-generation devices were iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air 2.
Comments
I think Cali means that Apple should be more proactive in courting big game developers to make games that are on par with PS4/ Xbox 1 games.
So why aren't developers running to Apple TV? App discovery is a bad excuse.
Apple TV can't compete with consoles. Otherwise we'd have Bioshock already. Why would it be pulled at all?
Yeah Apple TV is no where near consoles and this is Apple we're talking about. I have no idea why they shipped it with outdated chips.
I'd like to see an A-series gaming chip similar to the A10x but for console gaming. This would enhance the whole Apple TV experience even outside gaming. Considering that, it may not even reach the level of graphics PS4 or even Wii U are capable of, and hardware is important to developers.
To end this, me and my roommate play Xbox1, Wii U and AppleTV.
this is how much game time each gets:
Xbox1 %90
Wii U %9
Apple TV %1
and that's a nice round number. It's actually more like %.3 for Apple TV.
If Apple wants people to think about gaming for the ATV, they would've added a game controller with it.
But there's still room for improvement and I expect Apple to do something similar but in some ways better sooner rather than later. The living room is important to Apple and that's what I think the Apple TV will strive to be: One small box that serves gaming, media streaming and home control needs. Our home has both and the Shield (the older first version which just got every feature and speed/interface upgrade as the new) is far faster and more useful, but costs no more than the least expensive 4th gen. Apple TV plus a controller.
these replies are BS excuses when Microsoft and Sony have stores that are no better than apple's.
iOS devices support controllers.