Fontaine Futuristics

The corporate shell Frank Fontaine used to synthesize ADAM and fund his rebellion against Andrew Ryan.

Fontaine Futuristics was a legitimate-looking corporation within the underwater city of Rapture, serving as the public front for Frank Fontaine's criminal empire. While Andrew Ryan championed objectivist ideals, Fontaine used this business to synthesize and distribute ADAM, creating a dependency that rivaled the city founder's influence. Initially operating under the guise of a research firm, it allowed Fontaine to amass wealth through illicit means before transforming into a military stronghold during the civil war between Ryan loyalists and Atlas's rebels. The facility became central to the chaos that consumed Rapture.

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.

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.
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.

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