Considering a new BioShock is nowhere to be seen, many of us are really looking forward to Judas. Currently in development at Ghost Story Games, led by Ken Levine, Judas is a spiritual successor of sorts to BioShock, as Levine originally led the creation of the BioShock series. If you’ve seen the trailers, you’ll get some of those BioShock vibes, but it’s clear that Judas is bringing something entirely new to the table. We’ve seen glimpses of the game since it was first revealed in 2022, and while it still doesn’t have a release date, it’s good to hear from the team.
In a recent dev log, Levine shared the game’s wonderful new key art, which is inspired by Drew Struzan’s work. Fans will probably want to overanalyze the key art, as Levine confirmed every detail is relevant. As of right now, though, there are elements the team isn’t ready to talk about yet. We’re confident the internet sleuths will go to work inspecting the key art, pixel by pixel.
The dev log was mainly published to share details on a major milestone. It’s called Villainy, a central feature of the game. In Judas, the player’s actions will attract members of the Big 3 to the player as friends. If the player ignores one of them for long enough, that member of the Big 3 will become the villain and gain access to a new suite of powers. That villain will also work to subvert the player’s efforts and goals, retaliating in a wide range of ways. While we don’t have all the details, the design clearly revolves around player choice, meaning you’ll need to decide who to pay attention to and who to turn into an enemy.
Levine also talked about the Nemesis System from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, calling it one of his favorites of all time. The core idea behind that system serves as inspiration for how Judas will handle the player’s relationship with the Big 3. The ultimate goal is for the player to know these characters intimately, and losing one of them should feel like losing a friend. Each of the Big 3 will vie for the player’s favor and attention, but the player decides who to trust. The Big 3 will keep a close eye on how the player acts, not just in combat but also in hacking, crafting, and interactions with other characters.
It’s great to hear something new about Judas, considering the game didn’t make an appearance during Gamescom 2025. The bad news is that Ghost Story Games still isn’t ready to announce a release date. Levine said the studio wants to avoid announcing a date only to change it, which means we probably won’t get a date until the game is ready to ship. Judas made our most anticipated games of 2025 list, but it will likely carry over into our 2026 list.
