DETECTIVE AGENCY
IT WAS THE KIND OF DREAM DIRECTORSHIP THE TRIO COULD NEVER HAVE HOPED FOR
Why choose the name Irrational? Because, although it would one day be worth millions to a major publisher, the studio’s founding was not a sensible decision. Jon Chey, Rob Fermier, and Ken Levine had all left full-time jobs at Looking Glass Studios, and only one of them had ever shipped a game. The year was 1997, and so there was no way for a small studio to distribute games independently—they would have to rely on the blind faith of publishers.
It went about as well as you’d expect: Within three, a -style tactical shooter codesigned by Arkane’s Harvey Smith. Irrational had been tasked with developing a single-player campaign, until the publisher decided simply didn’t need one.
