The BioShock franchise has had large success so far, with its first two titles being set in the failed underwater version of utopia that is Rapture. The setting was something very unique, and its tunnels, close quarters and dim-lighting made it very easy for its creators to incorporate a narrative that would be hard to miss.

According to Infinite's Design Director in an interview with CVG,  the shift to Columbia, Rapture's polar opposite,  makes incorporating the strong narrative the franchise is known for, "a new challenge".  He goes on to mention the contrast in Rapture, "With the super high-contrast lighting of Rapture, it was really dark, so you had the opportunity to use a spotlight, for example, to really focus the attention and draw the player's eye to a particular thing."

Later in the interview when questioned about first-person shooters aiming for realism in the medium, he thinks developers make FPSs realistic because "there's a misconception that that's what gamers want and that's all they want".  He mentions Elizabeth as an example, "she's by no means super ultra photorealistic. That's not our goal, it's about making her relatable and believable and lovable".

The points he makes are well thought through and well presented, in a medium where you can create worlds others cannot, most developers tend to sway towards realism, possibly because realism is something that is safe, whereas Irrational take realism and "also mix in a crazy aesthetic that may be the exact juxtaposition to photorealistic".