BioShock series creator Ken Levine says that the next entry in the series, BioShock Infinite, was inspired by Uncharted. They’re two very different franchises, yes, but the way Naughty Dog fuses gameplay with the cinematics and the way they builds their characters is what is so inspiring to Levine.
“I think I was really inspired by the sort of scenes that Drake would have with other characters and just the sort of banter between them, and the kind of ease of that banter, and thinking that could work even in a period piece, and a first-person shooter,” Levine explained.
“Our game is a lot more serious in a lot of ways, in terms of the themes and what the characters are going through. It’s not nearly as lighthearted,” he continued.
Ken Levine says that seeing what Naughty Dog does in the Uncharted games gives him more confidence as a games developer. “[Naughty Dog are] really on top of their game in how they work with the actors and the writing they did. It gave me confidence that it could be done. Not so much whether I could do it, because they’re very, very talented people with a different skill set… but it gave me confidence that it could be done.”