BioShock 4 was announced in 2019, and we've heard very little about the project. Earlier this year, a failed internal review prompted layoffs at Cloud Chamber and prompted publisher 2K to drop creative director Kelley Gilmore from the project, raising doubts about the long-awaited sequel.
After Gilmore left, Rod Fergusson took over the BioShock series.
But during its financial results call, Take-Two Interactive emphasized that BioShock 4 is still on track, going so far as to say it will “take the franchise to the next level.”
“BioShock is a very important franchise for us,” Take-Two president Karl Slatoff said in a Q&A (via GamesRadar+). “This is one of our biggest franchises, and we are very excited about the release of the next BioShock.”
BioShock 4 is “on a great track” following layoffs and restructuring.
Slatoff claimed that Cloud Chamber had laid off more than 80 employees while also shaking up the studio's leadership to get the game back on track.
“We made some changes to the organization,” he continued. “We're changing a few things, but right now we think the game is on a good track to deliver something that exceeds our customers' expectations. The next BioShock will take the franchise to the next level. That's always our ambition for every franchise.”
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick emphasized last August that BioShock 4 “is coming.”
However, an internal report shared by Bloomberg earlier this year cast doubt on these assurances. “The game's narrative has been identified as an area in particular need of improvement and will be revamped in the coming months,” it said, adding that the remake of the original Bioshock was canceled due to the studio reorganization.
Five years have passed since its announcement (a tweet from 2K that simply stated, “This team of storytellers has begun work on the next installment of the acclaimed BioShock franchise”), and we've yet to see anything about the game, and with reports pointing to problematic development, it's hard to imagine that will change any time soon.
Nonetheless, Slatoff is adamant that the game is progressing well and that BioShock 4 will be a worthy sequel. Time will tell whether he is right.
- released
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August 21, 2007
- ESRB
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middle
- developer
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an absurd game
- engine
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havok, Unreal Engine 2.5, Unreal Engine 3, Revenge Engine
