We knew BioShock's original story was quite a departure from the finished game - a "deprogrammer" infiltrates a bioengineered cult. Irrational Games still sold the title on that concept, and has now posted seven scans from the original 20-page pitch.


The images are the first installment in what Irrational promises will be the posting of the game's significant source materials, including its first design concepts and the original drafts of the backstory. "You will read about game modes and features that fell by the wayside during the many years of production. And you will stand in awe of visual interface mockups crafted by Mr. Ken Levine himself!"

From this first taste, we learn the protagonist in BioShock's original treatment is named Carlos Cuello, sent to an island to rescue and "deprogram" a wealthy heiress in the thrall of a cult based there. Weapon crafting figured to be a major component, one of three axes (environmental manipulation and genetic modification being the other two) that would deliver on a promise of an "unprecedented level of player customization."


The cult plainly has a steeper religious bend to it than Andrew Ryan's doomed and dystopic society of Rapture. The title page bears a watermark image of a hulking figure that resembles a Big Daddy. It seems to be called a "Man o War," and has a more more organic manifestation, rather than being a mysterious figure encased in a diving suit.



From the Vault – The BioShock Pitch [Irrational Games]