Quick quotes: Elizabeth "the catalyst" for BioShock Infinite's civil war

"Elizabeth is the catalyst for what sets this revolution that’s going in slow motion into one that’s going at hyperspeed. The fact that you bust her out of this tower where you find her at the beginning of the game… the Queen comes into play on the board. And each side – the Founders on one side, and the Vox Populi on the other side – feels that Elizabeth is essential to them accomplishing their goals. The Founders want to keep her locked up in the tower, and the Vox Populi want to destroy her. This is because she is part of a prophecy: it is believed that if Elizabeth dies, the city falls with her. That’s all the Vox Populi want, to take the symbol of their oppressor and make it tumble from the heavens." - Irrational's Ken Levine, speaking to PC Gamer on Elizabeth's importance to Columbia's ongoing civil war.

The shooter launches this year on PS3, 360 and PC.