BioShock 4 Is Reportedly Being Delayed
It's already been nine years since we last had a new BioShock game, and if you're expecting the already announced BioShock 4 anytime soon, you might be out of luck. By the sounds of it, this nautical nightmare might be lost at sea, with the latest entry in the lauded BioShock series reportedly facing a delay.
The brainchild of System Shock 2's Ken Levine, the first two BioShock games took us to the underwater utopia of Rapture, while the third game (Infinite) was pitched as something of a reboot as we took to the skies and soared above in the floating city known as Columbia. Infinite had a clever Burial at Sea DLC to tie these two worlds together, meaning we're excited to see where the story goes next.
What's Going On With BioShock 4?
Relatively little is known about BioShock 4 right now, but after years of speculation and false starts, a fourth entry was officially confirmed in 2019. With Levine having stepped away, the currently untitled outing is being handled by a new studio called Cloud Chamber. Unfortunately, there could be some teething problems.
According to leaker Oops Leaks, there has been a mass exodus, with Cloud Chamber losing around 40 employees since work started. 2K is reportedly unhappy with the current condition of the build, suggesting a BioShock 4 delay could be on the cards. If that doesn't throw a spanner in the works of your game's development, nothing will.
There are no details on the million-dollar question of where BioShock 4 will be set, but only recently, we heard about the potential of a vertical location split between two reverse cities. Just like the above leaks, we should take everything with a major pinch of salt.
Is It As Bad As It Looks For BioShock 4?
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We're cautiously optimistic that things aren't that bad for BioShock 4. Let's remember that work on some form of fourth game has been chugging along since 2015. Admittedly, this was under the Austin-based Certain Affinity, and it's unclear whether any of the ideas from the days it was called Parkside have survived.
Oops Leaks says that Take-Two Interactive is still pushing for a 2024 release, with the current situation being described as a "slight restructuring" rather than "development hell." Whenever BioShock 4 releases, it's sure to be a game of the generation. Patience is a virtue, but at this point, it's getting a little ridiculous.