Irrational Games, the creators of the original BioShock, and 2K Games have today announced a new chapter in the award-winning BioShock franchise, titled BioShock Infinite. Those of you who loathed the unoriginality and derivative nature of BioShock 2 will be pleased to hear that Infinite will change the rules of the BioShock universe.

BioShock Infinite is set in 1912, which is before the storylines of its predecessors for those not in the know, and doesn’t take place in Rapture, but Columbia, a humongous city in the sky. This drastic change of setting gives the developer the opportunity to take players beyond the confines of in-door environments. That’s not too say the traditional, tight BioShock spaces won’t return – it just means there will be a lot more variety in the scale of environments.

Columbia was created as a “floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power” and was sent far away with great public support. However, things soon go awry, as the city all of a sudden “disappears into the clouds to whereabouts unknown”.

Players take on the role of Booker DeWiit, a former Pinkerton agent, who is sent to the lost city to save Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned in Columbia since her early years. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, enhancing his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

BioShock Infinite is in development for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC and is planned for release in 2012.