When is the Judas release date? The BioShock series left an indelible mark on the videogame landscape. In those landmark titles, we explored a dystopian world filled with ambitious technology, extraordinary abilities, and top-notch storytelling. Now, BioShock creative director brings us a sci-fi spiritual successor – and no, it’s not System Shock.
Judas is an upcoming PC game by Ghost Story Games, an indie studio staffed by former Irrational Games developers led by Ken Levine himself. This single-player story game is set in an original universe, and looks like the perfect blend of BioShock and System Shock, the FPS game series’ own futuristic predecessor. Catch up with all the latest news surrounding the Judas release date, gameplay, and story right here on PCGamesN.
Judas release date window
Judas is set to release by “the end of March 2025” according to publisher Take Two Interactive in a 2023 earnings call, where it confirmed Judas is one of 87 games it aims to release before the end of that fiscal year.
“We feel really stable right now. I feel great about our upcoming schedule,” Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said to IGN ahead of the earnings report statement. “Of course there’s always the possibility of some slippage but the teams seem22 to be functioning really well and I’m optimistic about delivering great titles to the marketplace on an ongoing basis.”
Judas is scheduled to launch on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Judas trailer
The Judas reveal trailer aired during The Game Awards 2022 and introduces protagonist Judas as she stumbles across a starship wreckage. Outside, in the distance, we can spot a massive planet suffering from an enormous, bright-blue explosion.
Judas’ voiceover says that her “only way out of here… is with one of them,” in a tone that suggests she’s not too happy about her choice of companions: a sheriff, a pink-haired cyborg woman with visible injuries, and an extravagantly dressed cyborg woman.
The Judas story trailer aired during the State of Play presentation in 2024. It picks up with another voiceover, warning that everything we see is an illusion. In a cruel-to-be-kind twist, the woman pulls the plug on reality, and the trailer descends into a dystopian nightmare, showing us what the world is really like.
We get a glimpse of the powers Judas is set to wield, like a green whip that appears to stun targets and lightning bolts that emanate from your hand, able to switch off robotic targets completely. The trailer ends with the Judas’ tagline: “Fix what you broke.”
Judas story
The official Judas website confirms that we’ll take on the role of the “mysterious and troubled” Judas, whose peaceful existence aboard the Mayflower space city is cut short at the start of the game. Our next objective? To escape. How to go about that is up to you, with the choice to “make or break alliances with your worst enemies.”
In the spirit of BioShock, many signs point to some ideology and oppressive regime being central in Judas’ narrative. Several posters propagate a specific lifestyle, with aa “social credit” requirement. A sign declaring “pilgrims only” also indicates this ideological divide has fostered social inequality among the Mayflower’s populace.
Geoff Keighley went hands-on with the first five hours of Judas, and revealed who we can expect to meet on our travels. Nefertiti, Hope, and Tom are the trio of major NPCs that serve as factions and “vie for your affections.” These characters follow Judas along on her journey, and react to the choices that you make in the game’s non-linear missions.
An alliance with one character might cause another to sabotage your efforts to complete your objectives, either by locking doors or disabling health stations. They’ll also try to flatter and cajole Judas into helping them instead – though this might come at the cost of her alliance with another character.
“This is not just a choose-your-own-adventure game. The narrative is much more modular,” Keighley explains. However, despite its variability Judas remains a handcrafted experience that isn’t supported by generative AI, which should come as a relief to players who are looking for a strong spiritual successor to BioShock. All of this fits Ken Levine’s pitch for a single-player experience that’s “infinitely replayable, with story and even characters that feel alive and active.”
Ken Levine also cites the concept of “Narrative Legos” as a guiding principle for Judas’ story. In an interview with the YouTube channel Last Stand Media, he briefly explains that “not everything from Narrative Legos got [into BioShock Infinite]”, but that we’ll learn more about exactly how it works in Judas soon. Check out this GDC talk to know more about this narrative technique.
Judas gameplay
Judas’ gameplay will likely force us to make crucial decisions that will determine the story’s outcome. If the protagonist’s name is any indication, there’ll also be room for betrayal should you choose to walk down that path. “All of the things that you would expect in a BioShock game are there,” Keighley confirms, citing hand powers, hacking, cinematic moments, and a rich storyline – all staples of Irrational’s beloved series.
With plenty of equine robots appearing in the trailer, we may assume that these guys are our main type of opponent. There’s also a brief scene featuring a tiny laser-wielding bot in what appears to be a tutorial. Pay special attention to the robot’s destruction; Judas uses the glowing green dot on her left hand to connect with the robot’s head, effectively exploding the little guy.
The green dot must be some form of bio-technical weapon – and it’s a multifunctional one. Later, Judas uses the dot to throw something shortly before igniting her hand. A similar bionic hand mechanism is also seen on other characters throughout the trailer, including the pink-haired cyborg girl.
Of course, the biotech hand won’t be Judas’ only weapon. We can also spot a pistol and a crossbow, both rocking a steampunk look. And see that hammer dropped by Judas at the beginning of the trailer? It could be a one-time appearance or a melee weapon in the spirit of BioShock’s iconic wrench.
As for Judas’ means of transportation, the trailer scene at 0:40 suggests we’ll get a canine mech to cruise around planets. However, we expect this fast travel system to send us to linear areas in the same vein of BioShock’s bathyspheres, which took players to different districts in Rapture.
Judas development
On May 7, 2024, Ken Levine put a call-out on X (Twitter) to the Arkane Studios team that was recently disbanded by Microsoft after a series of lay-offs.
“The Judas team are interested in hiring people with your talent set,” says Levine. “Especially in the design area (X2 ESP. in BALANCE). Please contact me here if you have this talent set.” By the time Levine could hire someone, they would have less than a year to help balance Judas before it launches.
Now you know everything there is to know so far about the Judas release date, tide the wait a little with some of the best PC games of all time or the best single-player games. Could Judas make its way to that list when it launches? Only time will tell.