What Is Going on With the Game Judas?

Few names carry as much weight in narrative-driven gaming as BioShock, a series that redefined what first-person storytelling could look like. Ken Levine’s unique brand of world-building: philosophical, eerie, darkly humorous, and painfully human, helped make BioShock and BioShock Infinite modern classics. These games weren’t just shooters; they were atmospheric experiences that addressed ideology, power, and the human condition. After Infinite and its DLC, fans assumed Levine would continue shaping the franchise he built. Instead, Irrational Games was sunset, shrinking down to a small, experimental team.

Levine founded a new studio under Take-Two called Ghost Story Games and revealed Judas before disappearing into creative silence. That silence is what makes Judas such a compelling mystery. First revealed in 2022, the game marks Levine’s long-anticipated return to big-scope immersive storytelling. But in the years since its reveal, Ghost Story Games has barely communicated, and fans still have questions: When is it coming out? What kind of story is Levine telling this time? And will it live up to one of the best games of all time?

Everything We Know About Judas

The main plot of Judas is immediately interesting and striking: Earth is dying, and a remnant of humans is traveling aboard a colony ship to continue the human race. To convince passengers to come aboard, the Big Three promised them the ability to reprint their bodies so they could survive the journey. But this was a lie, as there was only enough material, being extremely rare, to replicate a single person: Judas. The protagonist and playable character revealed that all the passengers, including the Big Three, are actually robots containing the memories and personalities of the passengers. This causes chaos to erupt, and puts the ship in jeopardy of destruction.

This premise is at the center of gameplay, as Ghost Story Games are prioritizing the narrative and how the players’ choices will affect the game. Judas is all about breaking and remaking relationships, as the player must convince one of the Big Three, who no longer have a shared goal, to navigate the Mayflower out of the asteroid belt, slowly destroying it. The game’s tagline, “Fix what you broke”, is at the heart of its promotion, signaling that there will likely be branching narratives based on how you go about this.

This premise feels right at home with Levine’s previous games, the BioShock series. Players will explore theological and political themes that will shape how they play and interact with the world. Players will have to take into consideration the declining personalities of the Big Three and the Mayflower’s other occupants. Ghost Story Games has been an intricate and dynamic relationship system that will shape how every character responds to Judas’ actions, both big and small.

Do you side with Tom, who wants to preserve humanity as flesh and blood? Or do you choose his wife, Nerfititi, who believes humans should accept the transformation into robots? Or finally, Hope, whose primary goal is to erase herself from existence? Which faction you support and which you oppose will likely have huge impacts on the story.

It’s ambitious, but Levine has pulled off ambitious ideas in the past. Sometimes this gets the creative director into trouble, as his ideas have led to ballooned development, which could be the problem with Judas’ long silence. While the studio did provide Dev Log #2 on December 2nd, 2025, it didn’t provide much in the context of news, but rather provided insight into the creative process. It did not provide any updates on a release date, but fans are hopeful to see Judas at The Game Awards, another compelling reason to tune in and see what games are showcased there.

The game stars Judas, a self-taught hacker and engineer, a part of the Mayflower’s multi-generational space trip to a new planet. While we don’t know exactly what happened, we know that Judas is not well-liked, as she is directly responsible for the ship’s current state of danger. We do know that Judas revealed the ship’s purpose was a lie, and that the entire ship is actually robots, except Judas, who is reprinted at the beginning of the game, signaling she has already died at least once.

As for gameplay, Judas seems designed very much with BioShock in mind. The reveal trailer showcased guns, melee weapons, and powers that feel just like Rapture’s Plasmids. Combat is first-person, and you can use all the tools of your trade to dispatch enemies as well as the environment. With Judas’ hacking skills, you can even turn enemies against one another.

Which of the Big Three you help or don’t help does more than impact just the story. If you ignore one, they may lock a door that leads to a much-needed escape from pursuing enemies. Conversely, helping a leader may cause them to appear and help you in battle. But regardless of your choices (hopefully), your trusty robotic canine companion will help you travel across the ship’s various areas.

Design-wise and aesthetically, the game is beautiful with inspired designs. From humanoid horse deputies to the angry dentist chair, you’ll encounter various interesting and terrifying robotic foes. As for the Mayflower itself, the ship was designed to function as a city, and it nails this look. It blends a new sci-fi look with vibes that feel right out of Rapture and Columbia to create something unique.

When Will We See Judas?

While Judas was revealed in 2022, we are still no closer to a release date. Initially, 2K Games had planned a 2025 release, but that date has been moved with no new one set. The hope is that Judas will be released in 2026 and will not go the way of BioShock 4, which recently failed an internal test. With The Game Awards soon approaching, fans are hopeful that Ghost Story Games will give a major update on the game’s progress, including a release date.

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