BioShock Vita is "a little different"

The Vita installment in Irrational Games' BioShock franchise is "a little different", according to series creator Ken Levine.

Speaking in an interview with Joystiq, Levine explained that the game was still very early in development but hinted that the studio is taking an experimental approach with the title.

"We're still sort of in the paper design stage," he explained, before revealing that the game won't purely be a handheld port of Infinite or one of the first two BioShock games.

"That's not the current goal for what we're doing. I think for us, the idea we have is a really good expression on a platform like that. It's a different goal. And it has to sort of have its own voice in the franchise. If it just feels like a quieter voice in the franchise, I don't think that works."

Levine wouldn't offer anything more concrete but added, "I'd rather do something that's an experiment and that's a little different. And is unique for the franchise."

He went on to explain that there's a chance the title could be outsourced to an external developer.

"Potentially, potentially," he said, explaining that he had already spoken with some "extraordinary people" regarding the possibility of bringing in outside help. However, he wasn't ready to commit to any particular developer.

"To keep quality level... I wish I could say it was easy... it just tends to be more time consuming," he added. "It's just hard to find the right partners or the right people to hire."

Irrational's current project, BioShock Infinite, takes flight some time next year on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.