BioShock 4 confirmed not canceled despite major development setbacks

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has directly addressed fan concerns about BioShock 4’s future, stating unequivocally that the long-awaited sequel will release. “It’s going to come out,” Zelnick told IGN this week. “That I can say hand on heart, without question.” The confirmation comes after Bloomberg reported that the game recently failed an internal review at 2K Games, triggering another major development overhaul and leadership shake-up at Cloud Chamber Studios.

Leadership changes and narrative problems

The troubled project has seen studio head Kelley Gilmore removed from her position, while creative director Hogarth de la Plante was shifted into a publishing role. Sources indicate that 2K executives were particularly unhappy with the game’s narrative direction after over a decade of development. Cloud Chamber employees reportedly received word during an all-hands meeting that the studio needs to become “more agile and efficient,” sparking concerns about potential layoffs.

• Failed internal review: 2K Games executives rejected the current state of BioShock 4’s development
• Story overhaul: The narrative is being completely reworked in the coming months
• Leadership reshuffle: Key figures removed or reassigned to different roles
• Development timeline: The game has been in various stages of development for over 10 years
• Canceled remake: A separate BioShock 1 remake project was quietly scrapped earlier this year

Netflix movie adaptation shows more progress than the game

While BioShock 4 struggles through development hell, Netflix’s live-action BioShock movie adaptation appears to be making steady progress. Director Francis Lawrence recently confirmed to IGN that he received a new script draft and had productive meetings with writer Justin Rhodes, who took over from original screenwriter Michael Green. “BioShock is still in development,” Lawrence said. “I just actually just got a draft. We have a meeting with the writer tomorrow, so that’s definitely a very strong possibility as well.”

The Netflix project, announced in 2022, has faced its own challenges including budget cuts and regime changes at the streaming platform. Producer Roy Lee revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 that the film is being “reconfigured” with a reduced budget to focus on “a more personal point of view” rather than a grand epic. Despite these adjustments, Lawrence remains optimistic about bringing Rapture to life, acknowledging it’s a “tricky adaptation” but insisting they’re “in a pretty good place.”

Ken Levine factor and the Judas connection

Part of the challenge stems from living up to the legacy left by series creator Ken Levine, who departed the franchise after BioShock Infinite to work on his own project. Levine is currently developing Judas at Ghost Story Games, which many fans view as a spiritual successor to BioShock. “We have very big shoes to fill because of the legacy of Ken Levine,” Zelnick acknowledged. The CEO emphasized that the team needs to create something “true to the BioShock DNA” while also being “a massive step forward.” This delicate balance between honoring the past and innovating for the future has proven challenging for Cloud Chamber, which was formed specifically to develop the new BioShock entry.