Take-Two’s CEO explains why the next BioShock is taking so long to make.

Take-Two first confirmed BioShock 4 back in 2019, but development has been anything but smooth. Last week, Bloomberg reported that the project failed its latest internal review, prompting the removal of studio head Kelley Gilmore, reassignment of creative director Hogarth de la Plante to a publishing role, and a planned redesign of certain sections. Speaking to IGN, CEO Strauss Zelnick stressed the game isn’t being canceled, adding that blockbuster productions now take longer because players demand higher quality—and quality takes time.

“It’s going to ship. I can say that hand on heart, without question. We’ve had ups and downs along the way. Cloud Chamber carries a heavy responsibility with BioShock—Ken Levine’s legacy and the franchise’s prior success set a very high bar. We have to stay true to BioShock’s DNA while also making a significant leap forward. That’s always challenging. We believe we can meet that challenge, but it hasn’t been seamless.

Everyone recognizes consumers are highly demanding—and rightly so. Our strategy has always been to deliver the best entertainment, not necessarily the most. Yes, we’ve fallen short at times, but rarely. Some competitors may have realized a bit late that consumers won’t accept mediocrity. ‘Good’ is the new ‘bad’; ‘great’ is still ‘great’. Our aim is for everything to be exceptional.”

Take-Two’s flagships—Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption—take years to build, yet their success is extraordinary. The latest quarterly report tallies the GTA franchise at nearly 455 million sold (with GTA V exceeding 215 million) and Red Dead Redemption above 104 million.

Those numbers underscore the value of patience and, crucially, give Take-Two the latitude to take its time with top-shelf IP—BioShock among them.

Source: PC Gamer, IGN