Editing BioShock (section)

==Release and promotion==

An initial [[Game demo|demo]] of the game was made available in August 2007 for [[Xbox 360]] and Microsoft Windows.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/08/12/demo-bioshock.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081011221342/http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/08/12/demo-bioshock.aspx| archive-date=October 11, 2008| title = Demo: BioShock | publisher = Major Nelson's Blog | first = Larry | last = Hyrb | date = August 12, 2007 | access-date = November 4, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/08/12/show-239-wma-the-one-about-the-bioshock-demo-with-ken-levine.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090204040601/http://majornelson.com/archive/2007/08/12/show-239-wma-the-one-about-the-bioshock-demo-with-ken-levine.aspx | archive-date = February 4, 2009 | title = Show #239 (WMA) The one about the BioShock demo with Ken Levine | publisher = Major Nelson's Blog | first = Larry | last = Hyrb | date = August 12, 2007 | access-date = November 4, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/20/bioshock-pc-demo-is-now-available/ |title=BioShock PC demo is now available |first=Ross |last=Miller |date=August 20, 2007 |access-date=September 24, 2011 |publisher=Joystiq |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715120404/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/20/bioshock-pc-demo-is-now-available/ |archive-date=July 15, 2012  }}</ref> This demo included cutscenes to introduce the player to Rapture, the game's tutorial section, and its first levels; the demo also included weapons, plasmids, and tonics that would otherwise be introduced later in the full title, as to give the player more of the features that would be found in the published game.<ref name="bit-tech" /> The Xbox 360 demo was the fastest demo at that time to reach one million downloads on the [[Xbox Live]] service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.xboxworld.com.au/news/bioshock-sets-new-xbox-live-marketplace-record.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121206030710/http://www.xboxworld.com.au/news/bioshock-sets-new-xbox-live-marketplace-record.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 6, 2012 |title=''bioshock'' sets new Xbox live marketplace record |publisher=Xbox World Australia |access-date=November 4, 2007 |date=July 9, 2007 }}</ref> The full game was released for these platforms on August 21, 2007.

After a fan petition calling for a [[special edition]] of the game reached 5,000 signatures, 2K Games announced a limited edition of the game, featuring a Big Daddy figurine, making-of materials, and the game's soundtrack.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Surette |first=Tom |date=April 27, 2007 |title=BioShock LE innards dissected |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioshock-le-innards-dissected/1100-6169650/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=[[GameSpot]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Before the special edition was released, the proposed soundtrack CD was replaced with ''The Rapture EP''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |date=August 17, 2007 |title=A ''BioShock''...EP? With "Period" Remixes? |url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/its-free/a-bioshockep-with-period-remixes-290859.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112063230/http://kotaku.com/gaming/its-free/a-bioshockep-with-period-remixes-290859.php |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |access-date=September 24, 2011 |publisher=Kotaku}}</ref>

The first patch for the Xbox 360 version was released about two weeks after release to fix some of the game stability issues players had reported.<ref name="nelsonupdate">{{cite web | url = http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/09/06/bioshock-title-update.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090202145901/http://majornelson.com/archive/2007/09/06/bioshock-title-update.aspx | archive-date = February 2, 2009 | title = ''BioShock'' Title update | publisher = Major Nelson's Blog | last = Hryb | first = Larry | date=September 6, 2007 | access-date = September 9, 2007}}</ref> The patch was found to introduce more problems to the game for some users, including occasional [[Hang (computing)|freezes]], bad [[framerate]]s, and audio-related issues, though methods to resolve these issues through the console's cache system were outlined by Irrational Games.<ref name="updateprobs">{{cite web|url=http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/48832 |title=BioShock X360 Update Solves, Introduces Issues (Updated) |publisher=Shacknews |first=Chris |last=Faylor |date=September 7, 2007 |access-date=November 14, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008162426/http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/48832 |archive-date=October 8, 2007 }}</ref>

In December 2007, a common patch was released for both the Xbox 360 and Windows version. The patch included additional content such as new Plasmids, new [[Achievement (video games)|achievements]] for the Xbox 360 version, and additional graphics settings to address some of the field-of-view issues identified by players. (See [[#PC technical issues and DRM|below]]). The patch also added in an option to disable the use of Vita-Chambers, a feature requested by players to make the game more challenging, as well as an achievement to complete the game at its hardest setting without using a Vita-Chamber.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/patchavailtonight |title=BioShock PC Patch, Xbox 360 Title update and Downloadable Content |date=December 3, 2007 |access-date=December 3, 2007 |publisher=Cult of Rapture |first=Elizabeth |last=Tobey |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228210855/http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/patchavailtonight |archive-date=February 28, 2012 }}</ref>

On July 8, 2014, 2K Games released a DRM-free version of ''BioShock'' on the [[Humble Bundle|Humble 2K Bundle]],<ref>{{cite web |date=July 8, 2014 |title=BioShock for a penny, plus more games in the Humble 2K Bundle |url=http://blog.humblebundle.com/post/91169765649/bioshock-for-a-penny-plus-more-games-in-the |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130241/http://blog.humblebundle.com/post/91169765649/bioshock-for-a-penny-plus-more-games-in-the |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=May 30, 2015 |publisher=[[Humble Bundle]]}}</ref> and then re-released on the Humble Store.

On December 17, 2018, ''BioShock'' and ''BioShock 2'' remastered were released DRM-free on [[GOG.com|GOG]].<ref>{{cite web |date=December 17, 2018 |title=Release: BioShock & Bioshock 2 Remastered |url=https://www.gog.com/news/release_bioshock_bioshock_2_remastered |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102094639/https://www.gog.com/news/release_bioshock_bioshock_2_remastered |archive-date=January 2, 2019 |access-date=January 1, 2019 |publisher=[[GOG.com]]}}</ref>

===Ports===
In an August 2007 interview, when asked about the possibility of a [[PlayStation 3]] version of ''BioShock'', Ken Levine had stated only that there was "no PS3 development going on" at the time;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/24/levine-confirms-no-ps3-bioshock-and-does-mea-culpa-on-pc-issues/ |title=Levine confirms no PS3 ''BioShock'' and does mea culpa on PC issues – success hurts |publisher=Joystiq |date=August 24, 2007 |access-date=August 24, 2007 |first=Alexander |last=Sliwinski |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827022955/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/24/levine-confirms-no-ps3-bioshock-and-does-mea-culpa-on-pc-issues/ |archive-date=August 27, 2007  }}</ref> however, on May 28, 2008, [[2K Games]] confirmed that a PlayStation 3 version of the game was in development by [[2K Marin]], and it was released on October 17, 2008.<ref name=ps3pressrls/> On July 3, 2008, 2K Games announced a partnership with [[Digital Extremes]] and said that the PlayStation 3 version is being developed by 2K Marin, 2K Boston, 2K Australia, and Digital Extremes.<ref name=DEPartnership>{{cite web |url=http://www.2kgames.com/#/news/2k-games-announces-partnership-with-digital-extremes |title=2K Games Announces Partnership with Digital Extremes |access-date=August 26, 2010 |date=July 3, 2008 |publisher=Take-Two Interactive |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701170800/http://www.2kgames.com/#/news/2k-games-announces-partnership-with-digital-extremes |archive-date=July 1, 2010  }}</ref> Jordan Thomas was the director for the PlayStation 3 version. While there were no graphical improvements to the game over the original Xbox 360 version,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/22/bioshocks-ps3-graphics-identical-to-xbox-360/ |title=BioShocks PS3 Graphics Identical To Xbox 360 |publisher=Joystiq |date=July 22, 2008 |access-date=July 23, 2008 |first=Alexander |last=Sliwinski |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724110118/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/22/bioshocks-ps3-graphics-identical-to-xbox-360/ |archive-date=July 24, 2008  }}</ref> the PlayStation 3 version offered the widescreen option called "horizontal plus", introduced via a patch on the 360 version, while cutscene videos were of a much higher resolution than in the [[DVD]] version.<ref>{{cite video|people=Melissa Miller (Senior Producer, 2K Games) and Jake Ikten (Senior Programmer, 2K Games) |title=IGN Podcast Beyond, Episode 63 |url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/918/918295p1.html?RSSwhen2008-10-09_133400&RSSid=918295 |format=MP3 |publisher=IGN |location=San Francisco, CA |access-date=October 10, 2008 |time=26:50 |quote=JI: "We did actually use the Blu-Ray for a few things... the movies are much higher res because they wouldn't exactly fit on the DVD" |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921010337/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/918/918295p1.html?RSSwhen2008-10-09_133400&RSSid=918295 |archive-date=September 21, 2011 }}</ref> Additional add-on content was also released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 version.<ref name=ps3pressrls/><ref>{{cite video|people=Melissa Miller (Senior Producer, 2K Games) and Jake Ikten (Senior Programmer, 2K Games) |title=IGN Podcast Beyond, Episode 63 |url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/918/918295p1.html?RSSwhen2008-10-09_133400&RSSid=918295 |format=MP3 |publisher=IGN |location=San Francisco, CA |access-date=October 10, 2008 |time=15:40 |quote=JI: "We added a lot of new things to the PlayStation 3 version. The main one is the Survivor Mode and the DLC." MM: "...as far as that add-on content coming to the 360, it is PS3 exclusive" |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921010337/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/918/918295p1.html?RSSwhen2008-10-09_133400&RSSid=918295 |archive-date=September 21, 2011 }}</ref> One addition was "Survivor Mode", in which the enemies were made tougher, and Vita-Chambers provided less of a health boost when used, forcing the player to be more creative in approaching foes and to rely more on the less-used plasmids in the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/survivormode |title=All About Survivor Mode |publisher=The Cult of Rapture |date=August 5, 2008 |access-date=August 6, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310055910/http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/article/survivormode |archive-date=March 10, 2012 }}</ref> ''BioShock'' also supports [[PlayStation Network#Trophies|Trophies]] and [[PlayStation Home]]. A demo version was released on the PlayStation Store on October 2, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5048840/ps3-bioshock-demo-out-on-october-2 |title=PS3 BioShock Demo Out On October 2 |date=September 8, 2008 |access-date=September 24, 2011 |publisher=Kotaku |first=Luke |last=Plunkett |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018232136/http://kotaku.com/5048840/ps3-bioshock-demo-out-on-october-2 |archive-date=October 18, 2012 }}</ref>  An update for the PlayStation 3 version was released on November 13, 2008, to fix some graphical problems and occasions where users experienced a hang and were forced to reset the console. This update also incorporated the "Challenge Rooms" and "[[New Game Plus]]" features.<ref>{{cite web |last=Romano|first=Sal|date=November 13, 2008|url= https://www.gematsu.com/2008/11/bioshock-ps3-texture-update-now-live|title=BioShock PS3 Texture Update Now Live|website=Gematsu|access-date=April 2, 2025}}</ref> BioShock was bundled with [[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]] as a double pack on PC and Xbox 360 on July 7, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shippin' Out July 5–11: The Bigs 2, Tales of Monkey Island|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shippin-out-july-5-11-the-bigs-2-tales-of-monkey-island/1100-6212885/ |publisher=Matthew Peters |work=[[GameSpot]] |date=July 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019114251/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shippin-out-july-5-11-the-bigs-2-tales-of-monkey-island/1100-6212885/ |archive-date=October 19, 2013}}</ref>

A port to [[OS X]] systems was made by [[Feral Interactive]] and released in October 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/2009/01/feral-interactive-supposedly-bringing-bioshock-to-the-mac/ |title=Feral Interactive supposedly bringing BioShock to the Mac |first=Justin |last=Berka |date=January 13, 2009 |access-date=August 29, 2014 |publisher=[[Ars Technica]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903110459/http://arstechnica.com/apple/2009/01/feral-interactive-supposedly-bringing-bioshock-to-the-mac/ |archive-date=September 3, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/24/bioshock-for-mac-on-october-7th |title=Bioshock for Mac on October 7 |access-date=November 12, 2009 |date=September 24, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026163841/http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/24/bioshock-for-mac-on-october-7th |archive-date=October 26, 2009 }}</ref>

In early 2008, IG Fun secured the rights to develop and publish a [[mobile phone]] version of ''BioShock''.<ref name="mobilever">{{cite press release
 |url=http://wireless.ign.com/articles/851/851478p1.html
 |title=Mobile Gamers: Welcome to Rapture&nbsp;– IG Fun to Bring the Award Winning "BioShock" to Mobile
 |date=February 11, 2008
 |access-date=September 23, 2011
 |publisher=[[IG Fun]]
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403011441/http://wireless.ign.com/articles/851/851478p1.html
 |archive-date=April 3, 2012
}}</ref> This version was developed as a [[Top-down perspective|top-down]], two-dimensional [[platformer]] that attempted to recreate most of the plot and game elements of the original title; IG Fun worked with Irrational to determine the critical story elements they wanted to keep in the game.  IG Fun recognized they would not be able to include the full storyline within a single mobile title, and so planned to split the title into three "[[Episodic video game|episodes]]". Only the first episode was released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Mobile/BioShock+%282D%29/news.asp?c=12293 |title=IG Fun explains how it brought the crumbling opulence of BioShock to mobile |first=Jon |last=Mundy |date=March 24, 2009 |access-date=August 29, 2014 |publisher=[[Pocket Gamer]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904004702/http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Mobile/BioShock%2B%282D%29/news.asp?c=12293 |archive-date=September 4, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Mobile/BioShock+(2D)/review.asp?c=12247 |title=BioShock |first=Keith |last=Andrew |date=March 9, 2009 |access-date=August 29, 2014 |publisher=[[Pocket Gamer]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904004706/http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Mobile/BioShock%2B%282D%29/review.asp?c=12247 |archive-date=September 4, 2014 }}</ref>

Another mobile port was developed by Tridev, known as ''BioShock 3D'', released in 2010. Several parts of the game were reduced to single image graphics and the main gameplay engine had to use low-resolution and low-[[Polygon (computer graphics)|polygon]] models due to the limitations of mobile phones at the time of its release.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/bioshock-mobile-game-2k-tridev-development | title = 2K Wanted BioShock on Phones, Here's How One Dev Team Pulled it Off | first = Issy | last = van der Velde | date = September 25, 2021 | access-date = September 25, 2021 | work = [[IGN]] | archive-date = October 20, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211020233500/https://www.ign.com/articles/bioshock-mobile-game-2k-tridev-development | url-status = live }}</ref>

A port to [[iOS]] devices done by the 2K China studio was released on August 27, 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/473063/original-bioshock-coming-to-ios-devices-this-summer/ |title=Original BioShock coming to iOS devices this summer |first=Tom |last=Ivan |date=August 4, 2014 |access-date=August 4, 2014 |publisher=[[Computer and Video Games]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140806224758/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/473063/original-bioshock-coming-to-ios-devices-this-summer/ |archive-date=August 6, 2014 }}</ref> The iOS version is content complete and functionally equivalent to the original Xbox 360 and Windows version, featuring either the use of touch-screen virtual gamepad controls or the use of a Bluetooth-enabled controller, and with a graphics engine optimized for iOS devices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/8440/a-look-at-bioshock-for-ios |title=A Look at Bioshock for iOS and How it Compares to its PC Counterpart |first=Brandon |last=Chester |date=August 28, 2014 |access-date=August 29, 2014 |publisher=[[Anandtech]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831042910/http://www.anandtech.com/show/8440/a-look-at-bioshock-for-ios |archive-date=August 31, 2014 }}</ref> The game was later delisted from the App Store in September 2015; the game had become unplayable for many that upgraded to iOS 8.4 on their devices, and while a patch had been discussed, a 2K representative stated that the decision to remove the game came from the developer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-24-bioshocks-iphone-ipad-port-no-longer-available |title=BioShock's iPhone/iPad port no longer available |date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=September 24, 2015 |publisher=[[Eurogamer]] |first=Tom |last=Philips |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924231929/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-24-bioshocks-iphone-ipad-port-no-longer-available |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref> 2K later clarified that they will be working on resolving the issues with the game's compatibility with the new firmware and will re-release the title once that has been completed.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/09/24/bioshock-removal-from-ios-app-store-leaves-owners-out-in-the-cold.aspx |title=[Update] 2K Says BioShock Will Return To iOS App Store After It's Fixed |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=September 24, 2015 |first=Mike |last=Futter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926220958/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/09/24/bioshock-removal-from-ios-app-store-leaves-owners-out-in-the-cold.aspx |archive-date=September 26, 2015 }}</ref> However, by January 2017, 2K officially stated that it will no longer working to support the game's compatibility with newer iOS system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/2k-games-has-officially-dropped-support-for-the-ios-port-of-bioshock-415224.phtml |title=2K Games has officially dropped support for the iOS port of BioShock |first=Dennis |last=Carden |date=January 27, 2017 |access-date=January 28, 2017 |work=[[Destructoid]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128210356/https://www.destructoid.com/2k-games-has-officially-dropped-support-for-the-ios-port-of-bioshock-415224.phtml |archive-date=January 28, 2017 }}</ref>