It is also worth noting that there are no details about what part of the BioShock franchise will be the focus of this announcement. Cloud Chamber Games has been working on a new mainline title in the franchise, but the studio has largely been quiet about its progress since last year. There is also a movie based on the franchise in production by Netflix which could end up being the subject of 2K’s announcement.

According to Mp1st, the city of Rapture – the primary setting for BioShock and BioShock 2 – will be an important part of whatever 2K plans to announce. While this could mean that BioShock 4 will seemingly take us back to the underwater city, it is also just as likely to be part of an unannounced remake or remaster project.

Back in July 2024, a screenshot for BioShock 4 was seemingly leaked online. Credited to an anonymous visual effects artist working at 2K, the screenshot didn’t really reveal any major details about the game aside from a look at what appears to be the early stages of the game’s UI, a weapon, and a lamp that seems to be based on the same Art Deco design style that informs much of the architecture in the city of Rapture.

As for what we can glean about gameplay from the screenshot, it looks like players might be able to carry around 3 weapons, with one UI element also suggesting that up to three abilities can be used with different combinations of a controller’s shoulder buttons. The screenshot also features the player using the Ricochet Shotgun.

The senior cinematic designer at 2K, Jeff Spoonhower, also revealed through a LinkedIn post that Cloud Chamber Games was “ramping up” development on BioShock 4, and that it was recruiting more developers to work on the game across a range of divisions.

Older rumours from all the way back in 2021 have indicated that BioShock 4 might ultimately end up being titled BioShock Isolation. While these rumours are best taken with a pinch of salt, this title would indicate that the upcoming game might lean harder on the horror side of things than the action side. Rumours from around the same time have also indicated that the game will take place in the 1960s, with an Antarctic city serving as its primary setting.

Back in 2022, former senior writer for Ghost of Tsushima – Liz Albl – had joined Cloud Chamber Games, taking on the role of narrative lead for BioShock 4. Albl has previously worked on the writing teams for several major titles, including Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Far Cry 5, and Watch Dogs: Legion. She had also spent some time working on the Wonder Woman game at Monolith before the studio was shuttered.

MP1st claims to have got their hands on a screenshot of BioShock 4, which they says they got from an anonymous 2K visual effects artist. The bottom of the image mentions the name “Parkside“, which prior reports have suggested is the codename the game is in development under. Allegedly, the image is from a 2021 demo build of the game that was featured in an internal showcase reel, and showcases the player holding a weapon called the Ricochet Shotgun.

The UI in the screenshot suggests that the player can carry a total of three weapons, with symbols on the bottom left seemingly representing abilities, presumably running on cooldowns, rather than the Plasma an Vigor meters seen in prior BioShock titles. Hourglass and stopwatch symbols on the UI also seem to suggest that the player will have access to time-based abilities.

It’s worth keeping in mind, of course, that if this image is indeed from an early build of the game from roughly three years ago, there’s a good chance that a lot will have changed since then.

Prior reports have suggested that BioShock 4 (or whatever it ends up being called) is going to be set in an Antarctic city in the 1960s called Borealis. Earlier this month, Cloud Chamber Games said development on the title was “ramping up”, with the studio looking to recruit in a number of positions. Read more on that through here.

Jeff Spoonhower, who is a senior cinematic designer at 2K and is working on the next BioShock, has said in a LinkedIn post that the team at Cloud Chamber is “ramping up” and is looking to hire people across a number of disciplines, from art and design to production and more.

Meanwhile, on its own official website, the studio says it is “currently recruiting like mad” for its San Francisco and Montreal offices, with a total of 30 roles currently open for application.

Details on BioShock 4 (or whatever it ends up being called) are scant, with 2K having said back in 2020 that the game would be in development for “several” more years, but past job listings have indicated some information. The title, in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, could seemingly feature an open world setting and dialogue choices, and is being built on Unreal Engine 5.

Liz Albl recently took to Twitter and confirmed that she has joined Cloud Chamber Games as Narrative Lead on BioShock 4 (or whatever it ends up being called).

Albl has been involved in writing teams on a number of major projects over the years. According to her LinkedIn page, after starting out as a writing intern on Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, she was a writer on a number of other Ubisoft titles, including Far Cry 5 and Watch Dogs: Legion, following which she moved to Sucker Punch to serve as a senior writer on Ghost of Tsushima. Most recently, Albl was at Monolith Productions, where she worked on the upcoming Wonder Woman game for a period of nearly two years.

Details on BioShock 4 have been scant since it was officially announced in late 2019 that the game was in development. As per recent leaks, it will be set in a fictional 1960s Antarctic city called Borealis, while job listings have also suggested that the game is being developed using Unreal Engine 5.

Job listings have hinted at other details for the first person shooter as well, such as a potential open world setting, highly reactive environments, dialogue choices, and more.

The dream is real! So happy to announce I've joined Cloud Chamber as Narrative Lead on BIOSHOCK ⚡ pic.twitter.com/tdNfvar7x2

— Liz Albl (@mslizalbl) December 7, 2022

Over on Twitter, leaker @oopsleaks, who claimed in a previous leak that the game would be called BioShock Isolation, recently claimed that the long-awaited sequel’s development has run into some hurdles. Cloud Chamber has allegedly lost 40 developers, which includes leaks as well, some of whom left the studio of their own accord, while others were allegedly fired “for various reasons”.

The leaker claims that 2K Games is unhappy with the progress the project has made and the pace at which its development is moving along, which has brought about a “slight restructuring” at Cloud Chamber. The studio has apparently also started hiring new employees, and though the game is still scheduled to launch be the end of 2024, it’s announcement date has seemingly been pushed back.

As always with leaks of an unverified nature, it’s best to take this with a grain of salt for now, especially seeing as 2K Games and Cloud Chamber themselves have said next to nothing about BioShock 4 – or whatever it ends up being called – since having confirmed that it’s in development. We’ll keep an eye out for more details though, so stay tuned.

I’ve been told that some left on their own, some were fired for various reasons, nevertheless it’s not a ‘development hell’ but rather a ‘slight restructuring’. The studio has already started hiring new employees. It is likely that the announcement date may shift for this reason.

— Oops Leaks (@oopsleaks) February 15, 2022

In a recent Sacred Symbols video uploaded by journalist Colin Moriarty, it’s been claimed that BioShock 4 will take place in a fictional 1960s Antarctic city called Borealis. In its own report, VGC corroborates this detail, stating that it has heard the same from its own sources.

Moriarty also states that the development team at Cloud Chamber is well aware that the game will be compared to previous BioShock games and, more specifically, the works of series creator Ken Levine, suggesting that the developers are designing an experience very much in the same vein. Moriarty also claims that BioShock 4 is currently targeting a 2022 launch.

Another recent leak claimed that BioShock 4 will be called BioShock Isolation and will feature setting and story will revolve around two new cities, one on top of each other, with an announcement planned for sometime in 2022. Read more on that through here.

Previous job listings have also revealed potential new details on the next BioShock game. It seems to be using Unreal Engine 5 for its development, while listings have also made mention of an open world setting, the game taking place in a “new and fantastical world”, and a dialogue system, emergent AI systems, and more.

As shared over on Twitter by @oopsleaks, the new BioShock game will allegedly be called BioShock Isolation, for which a logo has also been shared- though the leaker says the game’s title could change in the future. BioShock Isolation will be developed on Unreal Engine 5, according to the leak, which is something that job listings have previously suggested as well. Meanwhile, the game’s development team is apparently comprised of several veterans of Irrational Games, the studio that developed the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite, as well as developed who have worked on AAA releases such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Mafia 3, Watch Dogs: Legion, and more.

Interestingly, the leak also provides a slide from the presentation that was supposedly used to pitch this new BioShock game, which, if accurate, reveals that the game’s dystopian setting and story will revolve around two new cities, one on top of each other.

The city on top is described as a “free and wealthy society led by a successful entrepreneur”, while the underground city is said to be “isolated” and “separated from the upper world”, and is supposedly “led by a dictator waging a vertical war”. A border known as the “flipside zone” separates the two cities and is described as “the hottest point” in the ongoing conflict between the two cities.

While Cloud Chamber and 2K Games themselves have said next to nothing about the next BioShock game in an official capacity, previous job listings have hinted at some details, such as the game having an open world setting, taking place in a “new and fantastical world”, and featuring a dialogue system, emergent AI systems, and more.

The leak in question here claims that an announcement for BioShock Isolation will arrive within the first three months of 2022, so if that is indeed the case, we’ll know soon enough how accurate these details are (or aren’t). Until then, we’ll keep an eye out for new updates, so stay tuned.

#Bioshock Isolation (title may change) logo variant

– Set in a new-to-franchise isolated dystopian city
– Unreal Engine 5
– Developed by Irrational Games veterans and people who worked on Watch Dogs: Legion, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Mafia 3, Deus Ex: MD
– Announcement Q1 2022 pic.twitter.com/BwyXKp1LKK

— Oops Leaks (@oopsleaks) November 17, 2021

A slide from the new #Bioshock game pitching presentation.

There might be two cities with radically different ideology, one of them located underground right below the other, both sharing a "flipside" border zone with an unleashed "vertical war". pic.twitter.com/Cy6fddJmV1

— Oops Leaks (@oopsleaks) November 27, 2021

Developer Cloud Chamber recently posted a job listing for the position of Senior Gameplay Programmer. By and large, it looks like a pretty standard job listing, but one thing that does jump out is the fact that BioShock 4, which the studio is currently working on, is apparently going to be built using Unreal Engine 5. Under the “job details” section, the job ad reads: “Work within Unreal Engine 5 adapting existing systems and building new technology in order to fulfill the project’s technical needs and creative goals.”

Given the fact that BioShock 4 is probably not going to be out for some time yet and is targeting next-gen development, it makes sense that the game is going to use the newest toolset available.

Meanwhile, other recent job ads have also revealed quite a few potential details on the upcoming shooter, including an open world setting, dialogue choices, AI improvements, and more.

The BioShock franchise has always been an interesting one to look back on. It had three very successful and acclaimed titles and then just…kind of stopped. There’s a few reasons for that, but they aren’t largely relevant since we know a new game has been in development since 2017. We know little about it, however, and only bits and pieces that comes from areas like job listings. Now, we have a tidbit that could point to what direction 2K is keen to take the sci-fi series. 

A job listing for Senior Writer is live now at Cloud Chamber, who is developing this new title. As spotted by PCGamesN, tucked away subtly is they are looking to “find someone who can weave impactful, character-driven stories in an open world setting.” This would indicate that the current direction of the game is an open world title of some kind. That also jives with other information we’ve gleamed of the game from other listings, such as the mention of a sandbox world of some kind, which you can read more about through here. 

BioShock 4, or whatever it will be called, has not been officially announced. As it stands now, it seems as if the game, in whatever form it’ll take, is still a good ways off.

It’s now been almost a whole decade since the last BioShock game. The franchise was a highly successful and influential one, but has been on ice ever since BioShock Infinite released. While we do know that a fourth entry is in the works, even if it won’t be for a good while now, a new set of job listings point to a potential picture.

Senior Voice Designer, Game AI Programmer and Lead Systems Designer listings have appeared for developer Cloud Chamber, the development house that’s been set up to work on the sequel. In them there’s a lot of details, such as the game being aimed to be narrative-driven, which is no surprise, but there’s also mention of “dialogue systems,” meaning there could be some type of choice system. Alongside that is also mention of an “emergent sandbox world,” which seems to hint something more open world. Maybe the most interesting bit is that of the work for AI, which they describe as “a meaningful AI urban crowd system and the systemic tribal ecology of a sometimes hostile AI.”

Of course, considering how this is all pieced together from various different job listing from a title that is clearly still in the pretty early stages of development with previous job listings pointing to it being exclusive to next generation systems, so this could mean nothing to the final project. It’s unclear when we’ll see BioShock 4 or whatever it’ll end up being called, but I wouldn’t expect it for quite some time.