Fans hoping for another classic BioShock might want to brace themselves: BioShock 4’s development just hit an iceberg, sending key leaders overboard and the story back to square one. Cloud Chamber can’t seem to find its compass, and it’s anyone’s guess if this project ever resurfaces. Maybe BioShock 4 will stay in development hell longer than Rapture itself was underwater.

The next game in the BioShock series—currently known as BioShock 4—is facing significant development issues. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the project recently failed a check-in review with Take-Two and 2K leadership, prompting major narrative changes and the reassignment of two creative leaders from developer Cloud Chamber to other company divisions.

Bloomberg’s sources also report that a remake of the original BioShock was in development before being “shelved” earlier this year.

Kelley Gilmore, head of Cloud Chamber, was removed from her role following BioShock 4’s failed review and reassigned to the publishing side. Hogarth de la Plante, Cloud Chamber’s creative director, suffered the same fate and is now also in publishing.

2K reportedly told Cloud Chamber staff they need to be “more agile and efficient,” which Schreier says now has the team worried about possible layoffs.

In a statement to Bloomberg, 2K Games said, “We are working hard to set BioShock up for the best possible future. 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.” The spokesperson also confirmed the role changes for Gilmore and de la Plante.

BioShock 4 has reportedly been in some form of development since 2015—actually, Schreier says it’s been “more than a decade,” referencing earlier work by Certain Affinity on the next BioShock as far back as 2015.

We only officially learned BioShock 4 was in the works in 2019, with Cloud Chamber at the helm. In 2023, reports claimed the game had been internally rebooted for a second time after a previous reboot in 2018. Last year, Cloud Chamber posted multiple job listings to speed up development—essentially the last real sign of life from the studio.

A decade without solid information isn’t a good omen: if the game was anywhere near release, 2K and Take-Two would already be shouting from the rooftops. This latest report shows that Take-Two still isn’t convinced BioShock 4 is where it needs to be.

Of course, there’s a big difference between what makes a “great game” for business execs and for the people actually developing it. It’s possible this failure simply means Take-Two doesn’t think the current direction will sell enough copies—not that the game itself is bad.

Source: WCCFTECH