It’s been almost six years since 2K revealed that a new BioShock was in development with recently minted Canada-based studio Cloud Chamber at the helm. But the only real news about the game since then was a report last week from Bloomberg that BioShock 4 has changed leaders after failing an internal review. But amid questions from fans about whether the game could ultimately be canceled and concerns about future layoffs at Cloud Chamber, parent publisher Take-Two is adamant it won’t be. “It’s going to come out,” CEO Strauss Zelnick told IGN this week. “That I can say hand on heart, without question.”
When it comes out is another question entirely. The executive admitted that things haven’t gone smoothly with the sequel–it’s been over a decade now since BioShock Infinite–but steered clear of addressing any specific issues with the game’s development. “We have had some ups and downs along the way,” he said. “That is accurate. And we have had changes in studio leadership. That said, we have very big shoes to fill on BioShock because of the legacy of Ken Levine, the legacy of what has gone before, which has been so successful. And we need to make sure that this experience is true to the BioShock DNA on the one hand, and a massive step forward on the other hand. That’s always challenging. We think we’re up to the challenge, but it has not been seamless.”
What’s especially odd about the situation is that Take-Two is currently paying Ken Levine to make another game called Judas which has also been in development for years and looks suspiciously like BioShock in space. It’s clear these games need more time. What’s not clear is if more time will be enough. “I think some of our competitors have realized maybe a little late in the day that consumers are not okay with okay,” Zelnick said. “Good is the new bad, great is the new great. And our goal here is to make everything exceptional.”
2K Games reiterated this sentiment in its statement to IGN about BioShock 4‘s recent troubles. “We are working hard to set BioShock up for the best possible future,” it 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.” Great games, it seems, can now take decades to make. The publisher had previously contracted with Certain Affinity for a sequel back in 2015, Kotaku reported in 2019. That project, codenamed Parkside, was also rebooted, though never officially announced. With the next BioShock out in the open this time, 2K sounds committed to keeping the franchise alive. A BioShock movie is also in the works at Netflix, though reportedly on a much smaller scale than once planned.
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