Longtime Epic man Rod Fergusson hopped ship to Irrational last August to help sand down and glue together the many complex and oddly-shaped parts of BioShock Infinite. Today BioShock Infinite is something that sits on my desk, its complexities burned elegantly onto a disc, and so Fergusson’s job is done.
“During my departure from Epic, I learned that Irrational was in need of a ‘closer’ to help finish BioShock Infinite,” wrote Fergusson in a missive to Polygon. “I’ve been striving for better storytelling in the games I’ve worked on and I saw this as a great opportunity to learn from Ken and his team on how to build a truly story-driven game.”
“I am very proud of the work that I did and of the team and what they were able to accomplish on Infinite. Now with the game shipped successfully, I’ve done what I set out to do here and now I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my life and career.”
Fergusson worked as executive vice president of development at Irrational for nine months, and timed his departure to coincide with Infinite’s release.
The end of his seven-year stint at Epic heralded at a time of significant internal transition for the Unreal lot, which is now 40% owned by Riot owners Tencent. Cliff Bleszinski quit as design director in October for a “much-needed break”, and in December president Mike Capps announced his retirement to sit on the company board. He has since cut ties with the board entirely.
On which developmental shore would you like to see Fergusson wash up?
Thanks, Digital Spy.