Ken Levine, creator of the upcoming game Judas, has shared new insights into the protagonist's background and the sci-fi setting aboard a colony ship. He describes the experience as a 'Judas simulator' rather than a traditional first-person shooter. The game features player choices that shape alliances among key leaders.
Character Background
Judas, the game's protagonist, is portrayed as someone who excels at understanding machines but struggles with human interactions. This trait becomes both her strength and weakness in a robotic-filled sci-fi environment. Levine explained in a developer's blog on PlayStation's site: 'Judas ... understands machines in a way she can never understand people. That became her greatest strength… and greatest weakness.' As a result, she emerges as an outlaw and pariah in a world where conformity is essential for the colony's survival.
Setting and Gameplay
The story unfolds on The Mayflower, a colony ship serving as a dynamically shifting open world. Described as a procedurally generated roguelite, the environment adapts based on player decisions. Lead artist Karen Segars noted the design's attention to spatial hierarchy: 'More exclusive and fancier places can have high ceilings, giant windows, and grand lobbies. But the Violator space is in the lower, grungy, underbelly of the ship and you have to take what we call the 'Stairway to Hell' to get to them--separating these spaces both visually and physically.'
Players must navigate alliances by choosing between three leaders, turning some into allies and others into enemies. This core mechanic drives the narrative, with the team reimagining the game as a 'Judas Simulator' focused on inhabiting the character's perspective. Judas bucks trends by omitting live-service features and marks Levine's first major project since 2014's BioShock Infinite DLC. No release date has been announced.