13 years have passed since Bioshock Infinite. It's been 13 years since the new BioShock game was released. What once felt like a new IP with momentum and a lot of room for creative expression now feels like a permanently frozen IP. Don't misunderstand. Three games is fine. But it's not for lack of trying.
In an interview with Game File, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick answered some key questions about the long-running development attempt for a fourth BioShock. He is honest about the situation, but he gives fans a glimmer of hope with his sincerity rather than a simple kick.
realization
2019 saw a new kid on the block: California-based studio Cloud Chamber. Cloud Chamber's goal from the beginning was to bring a new BioShock to life. Suffice it to say that it hasn't happened yet. Last year, former Gears of War expert Rod Ferguson took the lead on this effort, but that's all we know about the situation at the moment. Game Files asked Zelnick what was going on, first questioning whether the long development period and possible internal issues came as a “surprise.”
I'm not sure if Zelnick was moved by the following statement:
“Think about what ‘amazing’ means. One day everything is awesome, and the next day you’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ And that’s not how I run my business. But if you say ‘disappointed,’ then yes, I’m very disappointed.”
I think it would be more accurate to say ‘very disappointed’ rather than ‘surprised’. Take-Two's CEO needs to be keenly aware of what's going on with BioShock 4 on a daily basis, or he won't be able to do his job properly. (That's not to say that doesn't happen at big publishers. It totally does. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case here.)
As candid as Zelnick is throughout Game File's interview, I'd like to take him at face value when he says he's “feeling a lot better” about the state of the BioShock project as of 2026. Then things are coming together. At least I hope so. But over the past six years, a lot of resources have been wasted. CEOs easily recognize this.
“I think it was difficult to find the right creative buys. Looking back, I think we wasted a lot of time and money chasing down several creative alleys that turned out to be dead ends.”
As Zelnick later points out, this is the nature of the game. Developing large AAA games has become quite similar to making movies. How many millions did Paramount shell out to make a new Star Trek movie? I know. Apples and oranges. But the same principles apply. It's not that anyone knows what makes BioShock “BioShock”, but getting everything creatively assembled and ready for full development isn't easy.
Of course, at the end of the day, we BioShock fans want more BioShock. I hope to hear more from you soon.
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