BioShock: Infinite team wanted to remove Elizabeth entirely, says Levine

BioShock: Infinite developer Irrational Games had no idea what to do with Elizabeth when development first started. Studio head Ken Levine has explained that the team wanted to cut her out of the game constantly, but as we know she was spared the cutting room floor.

Speaking with Polygon, Levine discussed the nature of violence in games and how Elizabeth reacts with horror when seeing protagonist Booker committing violence initially. These kind of reactions lend her character and the world both weight and consequence, but it wasn't an easy thing for the team to achieve.

"Do you know how many times people wanted to just cut her?" Levine asked. "Over and over again. Because we didn't know what to do with her at first.

"I would be in reviews and ask ‘Where is Elizabeth?' and they would say, 'Oh, she's in a closet,' The same with (BioShock's) Big Daddy. I actually had to insist that there were three Big Daddies in every level. Nobody knew how they worked or what to do with them,"

Through sheer patience and determination Irrational Games powered through to create a solid and tangible co-star in Elizabeth. Not only does she help Booker in combat, she's also the plot's biggest mystery.

We'll have more on that mystery as we get closer to BioShock: Infinite's March 26 launch.