BioShock Infinite Release Delayed To February 2013

The planned October 16, 2012 release of BioShock Infinite has been pushed back to February 26, 2013, a message from Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine confirms. He explains that the delay will give the dev team the time that they need to polish everything up and make sure it all works as it should. It also means that we won't be seeing the game at this year's summer trade shows; Levine specifically names E3 and Gamescom as being off the table.

It's a bummer to be sure, but I think we can all agree that we'd rather see BioShock Infinite arrive late and whole than on time and unfinished. The coming holiday 2012 season is jam-packed with some huge titles, so it's not like we'll be wanting for things to play. You can find the full message from Levine reprinted after the jump.

A MESSAGE FROM KEN LEVINE

When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timing.

Since then, we’ve come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need, we’ve decided to move the game’s release to February 26, 2013. We wanted to let our loyal (and very patient!) fans know this as soon as possible.

I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter. We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren’t the Big Daddies you’ve since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan’s golf club didn’t have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco.

The same principle now applies to BioShock Infinite.

What does this mean for you? It means a bit more waiting, but more importantly, it means an even better BioShock Infinite. The great can be made greater, and we owe it to both ourselves and to you, our fans, to take this opportunity. Irrational Games is one of those rare developers lucky enough to ask the people who sign the checks: “Hey, can we have a few more of those checks?”

We are also going to hold off on showing BioShock Infinite at the big events of the summer, like E3 and Gamescom. That way, the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box. Preparing for these events takes time away from development, time we’re going to use instead to get the best version of Infinite into your hands in February.