Cloud Chamber, a new team led by former BioShock developers, is seemingly hard at work on an open-world BioShock 4. Based on recent job listings, it's expected that this next entry will be moving toward a non-linear structure that branches out from Rapture's undersea corridors and the towering platforms of BioShock Infinite's Columbia. BioShock 4 has been heavily anticipated for a number of years, and this rumored open-world gameplay is possibly its most striking change since the series' inception.
Truth be told, it's somewhat surprising that BioShock's return has taken so long to materialize, even if high expectations are increasing its pressure to deliver. With BioShock, 2K has a revolutionary, dystopian IP that can handle a variety of highly detailed environments. That potential might lead some to believe BioShock 4's open-world design may resemble FromSoftware's Elden Ring, but given the IP's immersive sim roots, Arkane Studios' latest works could be a better reference point for first-person exploration.
Similarities Between Arkane's Immersive Sims and BioShock
Arkane Studios is considered by many as one of the enduring creators of reactive, simulated worlds. Its 2017 sci-fi release Prey is often compared to the first BioShock, especially in its fusion of alt-history worldbuilding, survival horror elements, and supernatural powers that phase extra strategy into gunplay. Both games are strongly associated with the immersive sim genre, having been influenced by interactive shooters such as System Shock and Half-Life. As Cloud Chamber aims to capture the magic of those classic titles, there's a possibility of BioShock 4 returning to its System Shock roots, which means that Prey's Talos I space station might be a good inspiration for a wider, interconnected setting.
The BioShock franchise is no stranger to experimentation, but there is also room for further growth. FromSoft famously translated its tighter Soulslike formula to Elden Ring, an open-world RPG that rewarded gamers who investigated every corner of the map. Cloud Chamber has its own ambitions designing BioShock 4 as a similarly scaled-up successor, however, it probably needs more direction to service effective storytelling. Following Arkane's example, Talos I was practically seamless, normally restricting areas by difficulty and character abilities. So, like Prey, BioShock 4 could allow players to freely roam as long as they have the means to face the challenges ahead.
The Possible Open-World Design of BioShock 4
On Talos I, each deck is connected like a puzzle box of pathways that gradually unfold, introducing new tools and challenges over time. G.U.T.S., the microgravity maintenance tunnels that link decks together, feels real on repeat visits, all because Arkane designed a world around cause and effect. While players forge their path, both the station and the story transform - actions are reflected in how aliens spawn, security systems react, and objectives are described. Unlike Elden Ring's predetermined enemy encounters, choice plays an important role throughout Prey's simulated narrative, and those dynamic yet carefully controlled spaces could reasonably fit into BioShock 4's open world.
BioShock is steeped in retrofuturistic themes, weird science, and dramatic philosophical conflicts. Whatever fictional society Cloud Chamber has planned, fans can speculate that it will probably follow the franchise's M.O. - extreme ideas ending in disaster. Theoretically, an open world embroiled in warring factions would be a powerful premise for BioShock 4, as it might support the kinds of hostile environments that make immersive sims, as well as Arkane games, so special. Scope may set Cloud Chamber's vision apart from previous entries in the series, and it's likely to turn heads should BioShock 4 appear at E3 2023.
BioShock 4 is in development.