Take-Two announced today that “BioShock 2″ will rise from the depths late next year. What remains unclear is who will be developing the game and how it will fit into the “BioShock” plot.

It’s been rumored that the game will be a prequel to “BioShock,” as the ending of that game left little room for a follow-up. The game began after the downfall of objectivist-dystopia Rapture, and seeing how this downfall came about would be a good direction to go.

Another possibility (baseless outside of my own opinion) is a “BioShock” sequel reminiscent of those Half-Life games “Opposing Force” and “Blue Shift.” Both those were set in the same place and time as the original “Half-Life” but followed different characters around Black Mesa. A similarly approached “BioShock” game might follow a survivor as he fights his way through another part of Rapture.

“BioShock 2″ will be developed by the newly formed 2k Marin, a studio that includes members from the original “BioShock” team. Most notably absent is Ken Levine, who led the 2k Boston/2k Australia team that developed the original. The development team, headed by Ken Levine, was formed from Irrational Games, makers of the “System Shock” series.

My greatest fear on hearing these rumors was that another team would take up the reigns for the sequel, leaving us with something akin to “Knights of the Old Republic 2,” also developed by a different studio than the original release. With the talent behind the original “BioShock” split, it will be interesting to see how 2k Marin does and what Ken Levine comes up with next.

EDIT: Added information on 2k Marin, composed of members from the “BioShock” team, thank God.

EDIT2: Ken Levine will also be involved in “BioShock 2,” although his level of involvement is unknown. Will it just end up being the same team under a different name?