Technically speaking, it's not strictly accurate to call Judas and BioShock 4 competitors. Judas developer Ghost Story Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, while BioShock 4 developer Cloud Chamber is a division of 2K, another Take-Two company. Still, these games are very similar, so it's only natural that some people will want to compare the two. Thus, even if Judas and BioShock 4 aren't technically rivals, it's hard to talk about one without at least thinking about the other.
Fans have not seen that much of either game, though Judas seems the closest to becoming a reality. It's the only one to get an official reveal trailer, and Judas even has a release window pointing to a launch in the relatively near future. However, Judas probably isn't releasing imminently, so BioShock 4 still has a chance to beat its sibling out the door.
Judas and BioShock 4's Parallel Development
Ghost Story Games is the rebranding of BioShock and BioShock Infinite developer Irrational Games and helmed by series creator Ken Levine. He also seems to have a thing for retrofuturism, as it's a significant element of both settings. There will still be some important differences, of course. Judas arguably goes in the opposite direction, taking place in a retro-styled future rather than a technologically advanced past. Judas' gameplay reportedly also takes inspiration from the Nemesis system from Monolith Productions and WB Interactive's Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.
That said, Judas feels like a successor to BioShock's legacy. Based on Judas' 2022 reveal trailer, Ken Levine's new game seems to capture the BioShock feel. This comes across in the snippets of gameplay from Judas' 2022 Game Awards trailer, with Levine's new game even appearing to have its version of BioShock's Plasmids. The posters and billboards decorating Judas' environments also wouldn't be that out of place in a BioShock game.
Meanwhile, Cloud Chamber has yet to show anything from BioShock 4. Helmed by former Firaxis employee Kelley Gilmore, the studio still has several BioShock veterans on staff. These include BioShock 4's art director Scott Sinclair, design director Jonathan Pelling, and creative director Hogarth de la Plante. Apart from that, however, most of what fans know about the game comes from unconfirmed leaks and rumors. BioShock 4 may feature an open world, take place in Antarctica, feature two cities (one called Borealis), and launch under the name BioShock: Isolation. However, the developer has not confirmed any of this.
BioShock 4 Might Still Release Before Judas
Given this lack of information, it stands to reason that Judas is much further along than BioShock 4. This is supported by the fact Judas already has a release window, with Take-Two expecting Judas to launch no later than March 2025. Meanwhile, BioShock 4 lacks a defined release window. However, that doesn't mean BioShock 4 can't still release first.
Judas saw a bit of bad press early last year due to its development troubles. The game was reportedly supposed to launch in 2017 and only got its first trailer late last year, with Bloomberg News attributing the delays and employee burnout to Ken Levine's management style. The fact that Judas is behind schedule does not necessarily mean it will miss its 2025 release window, but it would not be too surprising if that were the case. Even if Levine's management style improves, Judas' Nemesis-like system alone will add a lot of behind-the-scenes complexity where many things could go wrong.
Besides, a lot can happen between now and Q1 2025, regardless of whether Judas hits its release window. It's also possible that BioShock 4 is simply a lot further along than it appears. For all anyone knows, Cloud Chamber might roll out a BioShock: Isolation trailer any day now. The point is that while release dates aren't a race, Judas wouldn't necessarily win if it was.
Judas and BioShock 4 are in development.