2K Marin
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | 2K |
| Founded | December 17, 2007 in Novato, California, United States |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; workforce laid off or transferred |
| Successor | Cloud Chamber (facilities taken over) |
| Headquarters | Novato , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Rod Fergusson (leader of successor studio) |
| Products | BioShock 2, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified |
| Owner | Take-Two Interactive |
Number of employees | 0 (post-2013 layoffs) (2013) |
| Parent | 2K |
2K Marin, Inc. was a United States-based video game developer located in Novato, California. Established in December 2007 as an offshoot of its parent organization 2K, the studio was responsible for creating BioShock 2 (2010) and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013). In October 2013, the company either laid off or transferred its entire workforce and subsequently ceased operations without formal announcement.
History
On December 17, 2007, 2K Marin was introduced as a newly formed division separated from 2K, itself a branch of Take-Two Interactive. The studio’s initial purpose was to develop the sequel to BioShock, following creative disagreements with the original director Ken Levine.
By April 2010, the sister entity 2K Australia had assumed the 2K Marin designation for the production of XCOM—later renamed The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. This branding was discontinued in November 2011 when the studio reverted to its original name, 2K Australia, while working on BioShock Infinite.
On October 17, 2013, 2K revealed significant staff reductions at 2K Marin, eliminating most positions and transferring the remaining personnel to a new studio in Novato under the leadership of Rod Fergusson. Former employees indicated that following these changes, 2K Marin was effectively defunct as its employee count dropped to zero. The shutdown was never publicly confirmed by 2K.
Despite this apparent closure, Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick stated in May 2014 that 2K Marin remained operational and held responsibility for upcoming BioShock projects. Nevertheless, by December 2019, 2K announced that a new internal team named Cloud Chamber had taken over the former 2K Marin facilities to develop the next installment in the BioShock series.
Games developed
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | BioShock | PlayStation 3 | Ported exclusively; originally created by 2K Boston and 2K Australia |
| 2010 | BioShock 2 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | rowspan="2" Template:N/A |
| 2013 | The Bureau: XCOM Declassified | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |