BioShock is on thin ice ever since the last update was made. The team over at Cloud Chamber presented the next entry in the series to the executives at 2K and immediate changes were demanded. As a huge BioShock fan myself, I’m just hoping at this point we get a great new game that feels like the rest of the franchise while providing enough fresh intrigue to stand on its own.
Rod Fergusson, who was a part of Blizzard for five years, left his post and has joined Cloud Chamber as the studio head, where he will be taking over the reins of the BioShock franchise to hopefully get it onto the right track. Fergusson announced this news on his X (formerly Twitter) by starting with “Would you kindly allow me to share some news?”. This sentence alone got many fans hyped, as it echoed the activation phrase of obedience from the storied franchise’s diabolical narrative.
Fergusson explained a bit about what he would be controlling and overseeing on the project as he shared his excitement for the continuation of the beloved game series. Supposedly the franchise will be in good hands, at least according to the man himself as he stated, “I’m returning to 2K to lead a series that means a lot to me as the new head of the BioShock franchise… I’ll be heading up Cloud Chamber and overseeing development of the next BioShock game, along with franchise extensions like the in-development Netflix movie.”
Fergusson continued by commenting on the reshaping of the studio amidst his appointment as he said “I recognize the studio restructuring is a difficult time for the team. I’m deeply grateful for the work done so far, and I’m committed to building a BioShock game we’ll be proud of and that our players will love.” Well, one reply which is gathering steam on his comments is “RIP BioShock“, and I hate to say it, as much as I want a new BioShock game, coming back to your ex isn’t a good thing personally, and with Rod having that experience with Infinite and then leaving, I’m unsure if this is the best direction for the series.
Whilst the new title in the franchise has been in development Hell for years now, we seem to have more traction in terms of getting a reveal at some point sooner rather than later, but with the initial reaction from the 2K execs, it looks like after Cloud Chamber had to overhaul the game and reshuffle their team (to which is an untold number of layoffs), it looks like we could be holding out for another long wait for a reveal… Again, development HELL!
My personal opinion here is that Fergusson may not be the right guy for the job. He’s more than welcome to prove me wrong, as I’m genuinely hoping the next BioShock game is a banger for the ages. Unfortunately, the new top dog of the franchise has had a somewhat rocky relationship with some of the louder, more vocal fans of certain games, i.e. Gears of War and Diablo. Whilst at The Coalition, there were some rumors of Fergusson not allowing certain decisions to be made about the game’s direction, and very much attempting to keep them on track after his partner Cliff Bleszinski left the studio.
While fans are openly 50/50 on the idea of the new appointment over at the studio developing the new BioShock title, with some fans still being critical about how Fergusson reshaped the series tone with BioShock Infinite, this whole reshuffle at Cloud Chamber is facing some controversy, at the very minimum at least. We hope the new title eventually gets a glorious reveal and hopefully retains the magic and lasting impact of the first two games in the franchise as we foam at the mouth awaiting it.
