Irrational Games might be handing over the BioShock series to publisher 2K Games and downsizing considerably, but 2K is confident they will find the right developer to continue the series' legacy.

As Polygon reported, the downsizing of Irrational Games will undoubtedly affect the industry. However, publisher 2K Games is confident that the BioShock series will live on.

"BioShock is one of our most beloved and critically acclaimed franchises, and we are indebted to Ken [Levine, CEO of Irrational Games] and the talented team at Irrational Games for their contributions to the series with BioShock and BioShock Infinite; the latter being one of the most decorated games of 2013," Irrational Games Co-Founder Ken Levine said.

"The BioShock universe remains a rich creative canvas for many untold stories, and we look forward to exploring the next BioShock experience."

In a letter to fans Levine announced that he was letting most of the staff at Irrational Games go so that he and his specially selected group of developers can remain at the company to make smaller scale games rather than continue on massive projects such as the BioShock series.

Levine cited his interest in making more narrative-focused games as the reason for the move, but many industry analysts have speculated that the move may also have been motivated by financial reasons. The last BioShock game, BioShock Infinite, was rumored to have cost $200 million to develop and market, and while the exact cost of the game has not been revealed, 2K and parent company Take-Two suposedly hoped to cut costs for the next game in the series. In financial information released by Take-Two the company emphasizes the need to produce hit games on the scale of Grand Theft Auto 5 to turn a profit every year. While Bioshock Infinite was considered by many to be the best game of 2013, Take-Two may not feel the cost to create the game was worth the amount they invested in it.

In any case, the series is expected to soon find a new developer and continue on in some form.