Fontaine Futuristics

Lore & Background

Frank Fontaine established Fontaine Futuristics as a legal entity to mask his operations within Rapture's underground economy. The company specialized in synthesizing ADAM from sea slugs, distributing the substance to citizens and fueling addiction across the city. This operation allowed Fontaine to build a parallel power structure based on dependency, challenging Andrew Ryan's control. When conflict erupted, Fontaine repurposed the Futuristics labs for weaponizing Splicers and used its secure corridors as supply lines for his insurgency under the alias Atlas. While Neptune's Bounty served as the primary base for smuggling operations and where players first encounter live Little Sisters, Fontaine Futuristics remained the heart of ADAM production until the civil war consumed the city.

In Their Own Story

The narrative surrounding Fontaine Futuristics is defined by its transformation from a business entity into a fortress of rebellion. Frank Fontaine used the company's charitable initiatives, such as Fontaine's Home for the Poor and the Little Sisters Orphanage, to find disadvantaged individuals whom he cynically exploited for his own ends. This modus operandi stood in direct contrast to Andrew Ryan's worldview. As the conflict intensified, the organization became the military wing of Atlas's forces. The downfall of Fontaine Futuristics coincided with the exposure of Frank Fontaine as Atlas and the subsequent arrival of Jack, who was manipulated by Fontaine since infancy through mental conditioning. The facility's legacy remains in the ruins of Rapture, marking a critical turning point where the city's founder lost control to his former business partner.

Reader's Guide

Fontaine Futuristics served as the shadow economy beneath Andrew Ryan's utopia, operating under the leadership of Frank Fontaine. The organization specialized in smuggling contraband and synthesizing ADAM from sea slugs, selling it to desperate citizens seeking power. This illicit trade created a dependency that undermined Ryan's authority. During the civil war, thugs and Splicers loyal to Atlas operated from these facilities, effectively making them the military wing of the rebellion. The headquarters functioned as a fortress equipped with advanced security measures and ADAM processing equipment. The faction ultimately collapsed after Frank Fontaine was exposed and killed, leaving the facility in ruins.

Did You Know?

• Frank Fontaine used charitable initiatives like Fontaine's Home for the Poor to cynically exploit disadvantaged individuals for his own ends.
• Neptune's Bounty served as the primary base for smuggling operations and where players first encounter live Little Sisters, distinct from Fontaine Futuristics which handled ADAM production.
• The character Atlas/Fontaine appears in BioShock 2 through audio diaries and more prominently in the prequel BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea.
• Karl Hanover voiced both Atlas and Frank Fontaine, using a native Dublin accent for Atlas and a Chicago accent for Fontaine.
• The phrase 'Would you kindly' was written into the script by Ken Levine after he encountered promotional materials asking hypothetical questions about killing people to survive.