Ken Levine's 'Judas': Embracing Nostalgic Single-Player Storytelling Without Microtransactions
July 11, 2025
Ken Levine, renowned for his work on BioShock, is developing a new game titled Judas at Ghost Story Games, emphasizing a return to old-school gaming with a focus on pure storytelling.
The release of Judas has been delayed from an initial target of March 2025, with the current status marked as 'TBA,' but Levine remains optimistic about its future unveiling.
Levine acknowledges the financial pressures on game developers but appreciates that successful titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and The Witcher thrive without monetization, highlighting a market demand for traditional single-player experiences.
He praises recent successful games that focus on single-player storytelling without live service features, emphasizing that players reward straightforward, non-monetized experiences.
Levine's goal with Judas is to create a game that prioritizes player joy and immersion, moving away from traditional cutscenes and incorporating dynamic responses to player choices.
Judas aims to react dynamically to player decisions, offering a more interactive experience than traditional linear cutscenes.
Players will purchase Judas and receive the full experience upfront, with no microtransactions or additional monetization planned.
Levine appreciates the support from 2K, which allows his small studio to focus solely on storytelling without the pressure of monetization strategies.
Levine expresses nostalgia for traditional single-player games that prioritize storytelling and immersion, describing Judas as 'an old-fashioned game'.
Judas is being developed without live-service elements or monetization strategies, which Levine highlights as increasingly rare and a conscious choice to prioritize player enjoyment.
Levine describes Judas as 'very old school,' with players receiving the full game upfront, free of microtransactions or additional monetization.
Despite industry challenges, Levine feels fortunate to work at a company that supports their vision of creating games driven solely by storytelling and player experience.
Summary based on 4 sources
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Sources

Toy News Online • Jul 11, 2025
Judas: Ken Levine guarantees that there will be no Live Service elements