There's officially a new BioShock game in the works. While we don't know if it's called BioShock 4 or something entirely different, publisher 2K Games has announced that it's definitely on the way in a tweet announcing Cloud Chamber Studios (the game's developer) and restated again on Cloud Chamber's own website.
While this may be your first time hearing about a new Bioshock, the first substantial rumors emerged in April, 2019 in an article about the current goings on at Mafia 3 development studio, Hangar 13, where Kotaku reported that there’s a studio located right next door and the team within is working on the early stages of the next BioShock game, codenamed Parkside.
Turns out that the rumors were true and, according to another Kotaku article, this new game “has been in the works for years”. Kotaku couldn't point to a release date, unfortunately, but 2K Games has stated BioShock 4 will be “in development for the next several years” – so don't pack your HYPOs just yet.
As Andrew Ryan once said: “There's two ways to deal with mystery: uncover it, or eliminate it.” We're choosing to uncover it – well, kind of. We've gathered together all the news and rumors about BioShock 4 below, alongside our hopes for the next BioShock game.
[Update: Some Cloud Chamber Studios job listings have given us some small hints about BioShock 4's world. Read on to find out more.]
BioShock 4 release date
While we're certainly excited for the next BioShock game, it looks like it'll be a while before we actually get our hands on it.
In a tweet officially announcing a new BioShock is in the works, publisher 2K Games stated that work has begun on the next iteration of the BioShock franchise but that the game “will be in development for the next several years”.
It may not be the most welcome news, but this does give us an idea about what platforms BioShock 4 will release on. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X releasing later this year, we'll almost certainly be seeing a new BioShock releasing on those platforms (and probably on PC too). Whether the title will also release on current generation consoles is less certain, it kind of depends on when the sequel releases.
BioShock 4 news and rumors
Job listings
Cloud Chamber Studios is working on the next BioShock title and the some job listings (via GamesRadar) the studio has posted can give us small insights into BioShock 4, or at least what the development team is working to bring to the game.
One listing for a Senior AI Engineer mentions “high ambitions” for tying AI and storytelling together in this “strongly narrative and systemic game”. The game will have “several AI systems” for this person to work on including an “urban crowd system and the systemic tribal ecology of a sometimes hostile AI”.
Another listing for a Lead Combat/AI Designer tells prospective applicants they'll be working on developing “an FPS combat paradigm that is accessible, satisfying, and allows for a high degree of player expression and experimentation within a highly reactive world” and that they will have to think “beyond direct conflict, accommodate various play-styles and design encounters that can be resolved through player ingenuity.”
It's not a huge amount to go on but it does suggest an ambitious approach is being taken with BioShock 4 and that the game will continue, and potentially even enhance, the flexible approach taken by previous instalments.
In the works for years
According to a report by Kotaku, a new BioShock has quietly been in the works for years.
“What 2K didn’t say is that this project has already been in the works since at least 2015, although it’s been rebooted since then,” writes Kotaku's Jason Schreier.
Official announcement
Publisher 2K Games took to Twitter to announce a new instalment in the bestselling videogame franchise.
While there's no indication of where the game might be set, and its connection to the existing characters and environments established in previous titles, we do know that 2K is setting up a whole new development studio – “Cloud Chamber, purveyors of fine videogames” – to work on the unnamed Bioshock title, which will be “in development for the next several years”.
Initial rumors – confirmed
The first substantial rumors about a new BioShock game emerged in April, 2019. In an article about the current goings on at Mafia 3 development studio, Hangar 13, Kotaku reported that there’s a studio located right next door and the team within is working on the early stages of the next BioShock game, codenamed Parkside. We now a new BioShock is definitely in the works.
BioShock 4: what we want to see
Return to Rapture
While it was nice to venture out of the underwater city of Rapture in BioShock: Infinite, it didn't quite feel the same. Sure there were some nostalgic scenes and the Burial at Sea DLC let us pop in once again, but we want to return properly this time.
Perhaps BioShock 4 could see us returning to a new Rapture, one that society has tried to reclaim and spruce up following the events of the previous games. If not, then we would love another wonderfully atmospheric city in a similar vein.
Big Daddies and Little Sisters
Sure, they're a bit creepy but we love them. More importantly, they're a big part of why many of us love BioShock but weren't really big players in BioShock: Infinite. We hope to see them return in the next one.
Explore the lore more
While it can sometimes be confusing, BioShock's lore and narrative is intriguing and we love the webs that have been weaved across the previous games. We're hoping 2K strive to build more on it, perhaps throwing in some more twists.
New Vigors
A big part of what makes BioShock so much fun are the Vigors you can play around with. While it would be great to see the return of our favorites, we want some new Vigors to try out and combine.
- BioShock revisited: unpicking the complex, messy legacy of 2K's knockout franchise
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