BioShock 4 is Reportedly Experiencing Major Development Trouble

Bioshock 4, the next entry in the legendary Bioshock series, is reportedly experiencing major development problems and a leadership shakeup, according to new reports. Bioshock 4 was officially announced back in 2019, and is currently in development at Cloud Chamber.

Bioshock fans are no stranger to exercising patience, given that they’ve been waiting for a new entry in the storied series for more than a decade now. While its existence as a follow-up to one of the best fantasy Americana games ever made was only officially confirmed in 2019, publisher 2K Games has teased or otherwise promised more Bioshock since at least 2014, shortly after the release of the last Bioshock Infinite DLC expansion. Since then, Bioshock 4 has been continually dogged by rumors of “development hell,” underscoring how difficult it can be to make a sequel to one of the most beloved shooter series of all time.

Now, according a new report from Bloomberg, Bioshock 4 is experiencing yet another major shakeup after allegedly failing an internal review at 2K. 2K Games executives were apparently so concerned about the state of the game that they shook up the leadership team at Bioshock 4 developer Cloud Chamber, ousting studio leader Kelley Gilmore (a 2K Games veteran who helped with franchises like Civlization and XCOM), and moving creative director Hogarth de la Plante (who was lead environment artist on Bioshock 2) into a “publishing role.” At a recent meeting, Cloud Chamber staff were reportedly told that the studio must be “agile and efficient,” sparking worries about potential layoffs. In a statment to Bloomberg, 2K Games said that it is “working hard to set Bioshock up for the best possible future.” It also said, “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.”

Bioshock 4 to Get Story Overhaul Following Failed Publisher Review

Bloomberg’s sources also noted that a major sticking point in Bioshock 4‘s negative internal review was the quality of the narrative, which is now being revamped as a result. Unconfirmed rumors about Bioshock 4 from late 2024 suggested the game will take place in Antarctica, split between two retro-futuristic cities called Aurora and Borealis. By contrast, the previous games took place in the underwater city of Rapture and the aerial city of Columbia. It’s not known whether Cloud Chamber planned for Bioshock 4‘s story to be directly related to a Bioshock game like Bioshock 2 was, or if it was to be more of a tonal and thematic sibling in the manner of Bioshock Infinite.

In addition to the details about the current state of Bioshock 4, the Bloomberg report also contained potentially disappointing news concerning the rumored Bioshock remake. The report noted that 2K Games was indeed working on a remake of the original Bioshock, but shelved the project early in 2025. It seems that fans waiting for Bioshock 4 should be prepared to continue waiting.

BioShock Infinite

10/10

Released

March 26, 2013

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Mild Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco

Engine

Unreal Engine 3

Franchise

BioShock