A new report has shed more light on the future of the BioShock series, and it includes some concerning news. According to Bloomberg, the new BioShock game that was first announced in 2019 from developer Cloud Chamber “failed a review,” while plans for a remake of the first game have been scuttled.
The report said the new BioShock game’s narrative was “identified as an area that was particularly in need of improvement.” A source told the site that the narrative will now be “revamped.”
Studio head Kelley Gilmore was “ousted” by 2K Games, the report added, with creative director Hogarth de la Plante getting reassigned to a “publishing role.” Cloud Chamber was reported to have had an all-hands meeting recently where leaders discussed being “more agile and efficient,” prompting fears of layoffs.
A spokesperson for 2K Games told Bloomberg that Cloud Chamber has a “good game” currently but the publisher says it is “committed to delivering a great one.” The 2K Games spokesperson also confirmed the changes to the leadership team.
As for the reported BioShock remake, the report only mentioned that it was “shelved earlier this year.”
BioShock is one of Take-Two’s 13 franchises that have individual titles with sales of more than 5 million units. The entire BioShock series has sold more than 43 million copies. A BioShock movie is in the works at Netflix.
BioShock 4 is being made by Cloud Chamber. This is a brand-new 2K studio with no games under its belt as of yet.
Cloud Chamber is described as a “collective of storytellers eager to push the frontlines of interactive entertainment by making unique, entertaining, and thoughtful experiences that engage the world.” Cloud Chamber has offices in San Francisco and Montreal.
BioShock’s creator, Ken Levine, is not involved with BioShock 4 “at all.”
“I don’t want to do half measures. I never want to be half in half out. I wish them the best. I know as much about the game as anybody else, essentially. And I’ll play it as a player when it comes out,” he said.
Levine, for his part, is still in business with Take-Two and is making the game Judas right now.
