Bioshock 4, the next entry in the legendaryBioshockseries, is reportedly experiencing major development problems and a leadership shakeup, according to new reports.Bioshock 4was officially announced back in 2019, and is currently in development at Cloud Chamber.
Bioshockfans are no stranger to exercising patience, given that they’ve been waiting for a new entry in the storied series for more than a decade now. While its existence as a follow-up to one of thebest fantasy Americana games ever madewas only officially confirmed in 2019, publisher 2K Games has teased or otherwise promised moreBioshocksince at least 2014, shortly after the release of the lastBioshock InfiniteDLC expansion. Since then,Bioshock 4has been continually dogged by rumors of “development hell,” underscoring how difficult it can be to make a sequel to one of the most beloved shooter series of all time.
Now, accordinga new report from Bloomberg,Bioshock 4is experiencing yet another major shakeup after allegedly failing an internal review at 2K. 2K Games executives were apparently so concerned about the state of the game that they shook up the leadership team atBioshock 4developer Cloud Chamber, ousting studio leader Kelley Gilmore (a 2K Games veteran who helped with franchises likeCivlizationandXCOM), and moving creative director Hogarth de la Plante (who was lead environment artist onBioshock 2) into a “publishing role.” At a recent meeting, Cloud Chamber staff were reportedly told that the studio must be “agile and efficient,” sparking worries about potential layoffs. In a statment to Bloomberg, 2K Games said that it is “working hard to setBioshockup for the best possible future.” It also said, “Right now, we have a good game, but we are committed to delivering a great one. We are working closely with leadership at the studio to define this path.”
Bioshock 4 to Get Story Overhaul Following Failed Publisher Review
Bloomberg’s sources also noted that a major sticking point inBioshock 4’s negative internal review was the quality of the narrative, which is now being revamped as a result.Unconfirmed rumors aboutBioshock 4from late 2024 suggested the game will take place in Antarctica, split between two retro-futuristic cities called Aurora and Borealis. By contrast, the previous games took place in the underwater city of Rapture and the aerial city of Columbia. It’s not known whether Cloud Chamber planned forBioshock 4’s story to be directly related to aBioshockgame likeBioshock 2was, or if it was to be more of a tonal and thematic sibling in the manner ofBioshock Infinite.
In addition to the details about the current state ofBioshock 4, the Bloomberg report also contained potentially disappointing news concerningthe rumoredBioshockremake. The report noted that 2K Games was indeed working on a remake of the originalBioshock, but shelved the project early in 2025. It seems that fans waiting forBioshock 4should be prepared to continue waiting.
