The Bioshock franchise is held in high regard among narrative-focused first-person shooters. Having exploded in popularity since the first game 16 years ago, the IP continues to show its influence throughout the industry.
Following the release of Bioshock Infinite, the franchise had not been revisited for several years. However, in 2019, 2K announced that work on the next Bioshock game was underway from the studio Cloud Chamber.
While the announcement was made nearly four years ago, 2K and Cloud Chamber have not provided many updates. A recent developer profile from Art Station also suggests that the game is several years away and expected to arrive by 2028.
Why it matters: Bioshock 4 marks the return of a popular FPS franchise, promising to continue its focus on thoughtful story-telling and gameplay that fans have come to love.
Mack Sztaba currently works as a senior concept artist at Cloud Chamber, and the developer has recently updated his Art Station profile. The senior concept artist lists a 2028 release window for the next Bioshock game.
This release window suggests that Bioshock 4 is still in early development and was not quite ready to be announced when 2K confirmed its development in 2019. Therefore, it appears Cloud Chamber has not made much progress on the game.
If accurate, this release window would mean that Cloud Chamber plans to release Bioshock 4 as a next-generation title since plans from Xbox indicate new consoles are due to arrive in the same year.
However, the 2028 release window may be just a placeholder. In this scenario, the game could be even further away. Meanwhile, the creator of Bioshock, Ken Levine, is also working on Judas, which is expected to arrive by March 2025.
Today, 2K announced the founding of Cloud Chamber, its newest development studio. This team of storytellers has begun work on the next iteration of the acclaimed @BioShock franchise, which will be in development for the next several years.
Learn more: https://t.co/L5hMVADxvY pic.twitter.com/SPvVVZoFCQ
— 2K United Kingdom (@2K_UK) December 9, 2019
Actual details about Bioshock 4 remain slim nearly four years after its initial announcement.
Following the announcement, 2K’s statements have pointed to the return of the first-person gameplay perspective, in addition to engaging narratives like past games from the series.
Job listings have also hinted that Bioshock 4 aims to take the franchise into an open-world format, using the freedom of a large world to expand on the IP’s narrative strengths.
Apart from such details, rumors have claimed that the game will be set in Borealis, an Antarctic city from the 1960s, connecting to the previous games in the IP. Other sources have claimed that Bioshock 4 is currently going through development issues.
However, these details are yet to be confirmed by 2K or Cloud Chamber.
Nonetheless, Bioshock 4 is expected to be an exciting release. The reputation of the franchise has ensured that millions of fans will continue to patiently wait for its release, hoping to see the IP return to the industry with a worthy successor to its predecessors.
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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