Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine has spilled the beans on how BioShock Infinite’s airborne metropolis Columbia will be hit by civil war during the course of the game.
Speaking during an interview with the chaps at GameInformer, Levine commented, “You see a buildup of a nativist or nationalist movement, and often there’s an event that comes out of that – whether it’s a war or whatever – which either enhances that or pushes it back.”
According to the piece, “a catastrophic event” prompts the United States to turn its back on the sky-bound city after it’s exposed as a functioning warship. Subsequently, this sparks a civil war in Columbia, with two groups duking it out for what they think is right for the city – the Ultranationalists and the “Vox Populi.”
Levine went on to reveal his fascination with American patriotism as having inspired some of Infinite’s elements: “There’s definitely a component in America today that nationalism is extremely important to certain people – a sense that America is a separate case,” he explained.
“It’s something I’ve always found fascinating. It’s an interesting element to divide over – where you’re born.”
“It’s kind of an accident, right? And how porous those borders are – people who are in the same country with different ethnic backgrounds and religious backgrounds – there are a lot of ways to draw demarcations."
“It’s interesting to me how important those become to people and I wanted to explore that.”
Elsewhere, the BioShock creator also divulged that the character of Elizabeth “is the trump card that can turn everything around” for the war.
Fans will be able to get their first glimpse at BioShock: Infinite in action later this week, when the first gameplay trailer will be unveiled. The game itself is due out in 2012.