With BioShock 4 currently in a whirlwind state since it was announced in December 2019, even more issues have hit the upcoming game from the blockbuster series. Cloud Chamber, a new development studio that is attached to 2K, has apparently failed to meet expectations in an internal review, which currently means that the yet-to-be-loved BioShock 4 has to have more creases ironed out and get a final batch of reworks to achieve a revival for the storied franchise.
Along with this apparent failure to impress, a BioShock remake has also been shelved with internal impressions being far from great. After Cloud Chamber appeared to not meet the expectations set upon them by 2K executives, there has been a bit of a leadership shake-up. Sources who have been kept anonymous as of now spoke to Bloomberg and said that it was in particular the title’s narrative which failed to impress the most and was “identified as an area in need of improvement (that) will be revamped in the coming months.” Whether this was because of series’ standards or current industry trends remains to be seen. However, we hope the narrative takes on a unique and imaginative shape with the revamp.
Following the review, studio lead Kelley Gilmore was expelled from their role, and creative director Hogarth De La Plante moved into “a publishing role”. The rest of the team at Cloud Chamber, however, were told in a studio meeting that the company needed “to become more agile and efficient”, and with this being said, employees within the organization are now fearing that job cuts may shortly follow. These are worrying times at the new studio indeed, with the worst-case scenario taking effect almost immediately, leaving the devs facing a frightening reality which could greatly hinder their future, as well as that of BioShock.
In response to the report, a 2K spokesperson acknowledged the change at the very top of the food chain within the studio as they spoke to Bloomberg, stating that they remained “fully committed to ensuring we deliver a BioShock game that exceeds the lofty expectations of our fanbase.” They continued by saying “we are working hard to set BioShock up for the best possible future.”
The very same 2K spokesperson has said that the team developing the title have a good game on their hands right now and are “committed to delivering a great one,” which tells us that while the game may already be fine as is, they aim to excel beyond that and set the path of redemption in a burning chariot through Rapture.
So, unfortunately for us BioShock fans, it is bad news all around, with BioShock 4 being reworked and news of a BioShock remake being completely cancelled, it feels like a dark day indeed. However, if we look to a slightly brighter spark within the BioShock franchise, the Netflix adaptation was created last year to be a more “personal” movie with a tighter budget.
Producer Roy Lee spoke to fans at the San Diego Comic-Con and said, “We’re doing a much smaller version, it’s going to be a more personal point of view, as opposed to a grander, bigger project.” While this may come as a bittersweet bit of news, at least for the fans, we have some optimism to hold onto for now.
What do you guys think about this situation? Does it present a worrying situation for a revival of a beloved series? Or does it still retain hope for a return to the splicer filled world? As always, would you kindly leave what you think in the comments down below.
