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.