BioShock 4 is officially in the works over at 2K. Despite having been announced a few years back, very little has been revealed about the next mainline BioShock title. It’s unlikely to be called BioShock 4 at launch as well, given the naming conventions of the series so far.
Release date, setting, and platforms
The big questions on everyone’s lips are the release date, the setting for the game, and what platforms it will be coming to. Given that it’s been in development for a while, last-ten consoles could be on the cards, but until we hear from the developer, it’s all up in the air.
While we wait for more info on BioShock 4, here’s what we know about the game so far. This includes everything revealed by 2K Games, as well as some speculation based on rumors from around the industry.
BioShock 4: cut to the chase What is it? The fourth entry in 2K Games’ retrofuturistic game series When can I play it? TBC What can I play it on? TBC (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC are likely)
In a tweet officially announcing a new BioShock game back in 2019, publisher 2K Games stated that work had begun on the next iteration of the BioShock franchise. Here, it confirmed that the game would be in development “for the next several years”. That may not have been the most welcome news, but it did give us an idea about what platforms BioShock 4 would eventually release on. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X now available, we’ll almost certainly be seeing a new BioShock releasing on these platforms (and probably on PC too). Whether the title arrives on last-generation consoles like Xbox One and PS4 is less certain; it depends on when the sequel releases.
Latest developments and rumors
Far Cry 4 and Ghost of Tsushima narrative lead Liz Albl announced on Twitter that she would be making the jump to 2K Games’ Cloud Chamber studio as part of the BioShock 4 story crew. This is the latest we’ve heard in terms of the game’s development process.
More job listings suggest the next BioShock will be open-world. In a piece of juicy gossip supplied by a new round of job listings, it appears that Cloud Chamber will be taking BioShock in a different direction this time out, with the developer actively searching for someone “who can weave impactful, character-driven stories in an open world setting.”
Another job listing points to the upcoming BioShock implementing an “urban crowd system.” This system includes a “systemic tribal ecology” backed by a “sometimes hostile AI.” The person who ultimately gets the job will need to excel in interactive crowd systems. Their task is to push the envelope of what is possible in this field.
