System Shock 2 is one of those cult games that hardcore gamers will consistently praise. Set in a futuristic starship, players had to cope with amnesia and deal with the eerie enemies they encountered at every corner. Most people have never heard of the game, however, let alone had a chance to play it.

Well, such has not been the case with BioShock, which was created by many of the same developers as System Shock 2. The game has received a significant ad campaign from publisher 2K Games, and it appears to have worked out. While a likely candidate for many "Game of the Year" awards, BioShock has also received commercial success on a scale undreamt of for System Shock 2.

We caught up with Tom Bass, Director of Marketing for 2K Games, and discussed what helped make BioShock into 2K Games' next big franchise.

According to the NPD, BioShock was the third best selling title overall for the August period. This made it the second best selling Xbox 360 title during the month (behind only Madden) and the game also managed to top out the PC chart. The 360 version alone sold over 490,000 copies.

"We've always believed in BioShock, but everything has to really come together in order to have a hit," said Bass. "We're most impressed and thankful with the public's enthusiasm for an original IP. It proves that the industry and gamers were ready for a game like this."

One of the factors that helped draw in hardcore gamers was a Limited Edition of BioShock. Among the limited edition extras are a behind-the-scenes DVD, a BioShock soundtrack CD, a Big Daddy figurine and an embossed slipcover designed by a contest winner. As Bass indicates, however, BioShock's Limited Edition definitely wouldn't exist without the support of the fans.

"The Limited Edition is essentially the product of the hardcore fans. We were honestly not planning on doing a special edition of any sort. A year ago we looked at it as a risky proposition; these editions make a lot of sense for sequels and established franchises with built in fanbases, but it's rare to see one on new IP. When the fan online petition for a Limited Edition circulated around 2K, it had three signatures on it. We barely had enough time to put any sort of special package together, but we gathered everyone around and said, 'If we get a thousand signatures we'll do it.' Greg Gobbi, the VP of product development said, 'You're crazy, make it 10,000.' We compromised at 5,000, and I didn't think we'd hit it. By the next day, there were 18,000 signatures.

"We then started a poll asking people what they wanted in the Limited Edition, and the fans voted on their top choices, defining the contents included with the game. Finally we opened up a contest to design the cover of the LE, and Cult of Rapture member Adam Meyer designed an amazing piece of art that we chose as the winner, which graces the front of the edition."

"In essence, this entire product was conceived, chosen and created by the hardcore fan community at The Cult of Rapture," he added. "It's that access to 2K that we've really defined as the cornerstone of the Cult of Rapture community site -- we're not some corporation in a giant windowless building; we're gamers too and we try very hard to listen to requests and ideas from our fans - and the BioShock Limited Edition is one of the hallmarks of that involvement."

BioShock has been riding a wave of buzz since it was first unveiled, but even past the game's release the critical reaction has helped sustain that buzz. The game has achieved an unprecedented 96 out of 100 on Metacritic. BioShock also received a rare perfect 10 out of 10 from GameDaily's Libe Goad.

"When the first review came in, we were at a meeting with some guys from 2K Boston in a hushed room as quotes and highlights were read aloud from it," described Bass. "When the score was announced (a 10 out of 10), everything changed. The game went from AAA to a potential classic in my mind instantly. The high scores themselves turned out to be a story in their own right. But they were instrumental in the game's success without a doubt. BioShock is that rare game that the press and consumers rally behind and celebrate, and elevate to a level bigger than AAA. This maybe happens once a year, or every other year, or once in a console cycle. As marketers, we can't create that moment, but I'd like to believe we've helped guide it and foster it, and at the very least, not screw it up."

Continue...