BioShock 4 is currently in development at Cloud Chamber, a new studio set up by 2K to tackle the next chapter of the dystopian sci-fi series. Little is known about its setting or focus yet, but if BioShock is going to hit the ground running as gaming expands on the next generation, it will do so in the face of some stiff competition.
The original BioShock was hugely influential, and there are now plenty of games that have taken on aspects of its aesthetics, gameplay, and environmental storytelling style. As a result of this, other innovations, and more, there will be tough competition that BioShock 4 will be up against, including a mysterious new project by the franchise’s original creator.
Deathloop and Dishonored
Arkane Studios’ games have been hugely influenced by BioShock. The Dishonored franchise took the first-person perspective, caricature-like art style, and magical-shooter gameplay and dropped it into an all-new setting and genre as a stealth game set in a fictional universe.
Arkane’s new project, Deathloop, resembles Dishonored and therefore BioShock in many ways. The gameplay trailer shows players will be able to wield traditional weapons in one hand and different kinds of magical or sci-fi powers in the other. The game’s time loop and the uniquely meta way it makes every in-game death canonical also begins to tackle BioShock's more cerebral side, with the series known for tacking on controversial philosophies like Objectivism and American nationalism as well as the famously trippy twists in both the original BioShock and Infinite.
Ultimately the premise of Deathloop – that the player is stuck on an island which resets every day or after a death – could help distinguish the game from BioShock, while also helping Deathloop overcome one of Dishonored's most frustrating features. If BioShock 4 too closely emulates the previous games in the series without taking some big risks, there’s a chance games like Deathloop will become seen as spiritual successors to the series while BioShock itself is left behind.
While it was long-rumored that the Dishonored series itself was on hold, that no longer appears to be the case. Arkane developer Dinga Bakaba recently commented that while the saga of Corvo and Emily Kaldwin had come to an end, the studio was still potentially interested in telling new stories in Dishonored's world, which could mean even more competition for BioShock 4 on the next-gen consoles.
Far Cry 6
Far Cry may not be the most obvious descendent of BioShock, but the series’ increasing focus on dissecting intense philosophies from Vaas’ chaotic nihilism in Far Cry 3 to religious extremism in Far Cry 5 certainly puts the series in the cerebral shooter genre alongside BioShock, even though Far Cry 1 released 3 years before the first BioShock. Just as BioShock has always focused on its city settings, Far Cry has become increasingly known for its villains, who, like BioShock’s cities, often represent the warped final stage of someone deeply invested in a black-and-white worldview.
This is very likely true of Far Cry 6’s upcoming villain, Anton Castillo, to be played by Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian fame. Anton is the ruler of a fictional Caribbean island named Yara, and has a worldview deeply shaped by the assassination of his father at an early age.
Fortunately for BioShock, the two series face a shared challenge: reviving interest in their respective franchises while avoiding repetition. The Far Cry games have already garnered criticism for their repetitive story structures since Far Cry 3, while BioShock Infinite’s claim that “there’s always a lighthouse, there’s always a man, there’s always a city” risks making the next game too formulaic and predictable without a significant twist.
Ken Levine’s New Project
Ken Levine is best-known as BioShock’s creator. Levine has left the BioShock series behind, which may already pose a huge challenge for Cloud Chamber, who risk being seen as a caretaker studio keeping the franchise alive beyond its natural lifespan.
Levine has announced that he’s working on a new project, which is bound to draw the attention of many BioShock fans, ironically, away from BioShock 4. Levine has revealed very little about the project other than the fact that he’s “working on [his] own thing.” That's not to say both can't exist, they certainly can, but that even from the same mind of its inception, there are new ideas going out. However, the original BioShock was known for its originality and its strong sense of vision, unafraid to tackle controversial topics from capitalism to child murder head-on.
If Cloud Chamber is unable to show the same kind of ambition that made Levine’s BioShock famous, many fans will likely turn back to Levine himself and his new project in the hope of getting their fix, even if Levine’s new game is radically different to BioShock in terms of mechanics. It’s difficult to place how much of an influence any one individual has among a team of game developers, but Levine’s perceived role as the key mind behind BioShock will undoubtedly have an effect on the marketing of both games.
Cloud Chamber has taken on a huge challenge in BioShock 4, though not an insurmountable one. Scott Sinclair, the art director on BioShock and BioShock Infinite is currently working at Cloud Chamber on the next game, and while Ken Levine is gone, the series’ new creative director Hoagy de la Plante was involved in the creation of the first game as a level designer and programmer.
What remains to be seen is whether BioShock 4 can push buttons and boundaries as much as the original game did back in 2007. With so many games influenced by BioShock, one of BioShock 4’s biggest challenges will be standing out against a sea of competition that the series itself helped create. Only time will tell whether Cloud Chamber is up to the task, and many fans will be keeping an ear to the ground for any news about BioShock 4’s city setting, characters, time period, and more.
BioShock 4 is in development.