According to sources who have spoken with VideoGameChronicle and the Sacred Symbols’ podcast, featuring journalist Sacred Symbols (available to Patreon subscribers), the next Bioshock game, which is rumored to be titled BioShock Isolation, will take place during the 1960s in a fictional Antarctic City called Borealis. The new game is said to be narratively tied to the previous BioShock games.
During the Sacred Symbols podcast, it was also revealed that “Internally the game is very secret and apparently, totally locked up. Apparently the inclination there is that they understand full well that this game will be compared to what [BioShock creator] Ken Levine does. And by the way, [Take-Two] is also publishing Levine’s next game.”
BioShock’s original director, Ken Levine, will not be involved in the new project (since he’s busy working on his own game). However, the current game’s creative director, Hogarth de la Plante, was involved in the original BioShock in multiple roles including level design, environment art, and programming.
The new BioShock takes place in 1960s Antarctica.
We have your first details on Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast.
Plus: Will Project Spartacus be PlayStation’s GamePass? Can Battlefield be saved? And more!
Audio: https://t.co/9iKbfqB7CK
Video: https://t.co/9p181fxO6T pic.twitter.com/XtSXl74Cff
— Colin Moriarty (@notaxation) December 3, 2021
2K Games officially announced BioShock 4’s development in 2019 after forming a new studio based in Novato, CA, and Montreal, Quebec to work on the next BioShock game.
A previous job listing for Senior Writer posted earlier this year by developer Cloud Chamber referenced wanting someone to, “…join our talented Narrative team to bring the world of BioShock to life once again.” they also alluded to the fact that the next title in the franchise could potentially be open-world, saying, “We’re hoping to find someone who can weave impactful, character-driven stories in an open-world setting.”
For more info on Cloud Chamber’s current job listings or to apply, you can visit their site here.
Here’s a list of rumored features for BioShock 4:
- Built with Unreal Engine 4 (may switch to UE5)
- Being made for next-gen consoles, but could also release on current-gen PS4/Xbox One consoles
- High-reactive, emergent sandbox world
- FPS combat
- Focus on experimentation and ingenuity
- Narrative systems-driven experience
- Dialog system (possibly multiple choice)
- “High ambitions for tying AI and storytelling together”
- “We are making amazing game mechanics and systems, with standard-setting player feel and responsiveness with AAA presentation”
No release date has been set yet for BioShock Isolation/BioShock 4 (or whatever it ends up being called), but supposedly developer Cloud Chamber is targeting a 2022 release. We’ll keep you up to date on any new announcements, including trailers and gameplay reveals, as soon as they happen.
