We’ve stated recently how BioShock 4 got caught up in the middle of some uncertainty, despite Take-Two Interactive’s CEO Strauss Zelnick trying to ascertain the project being completed.
Now, things have seemingly taken a turn for the worse, as BioShock 4 studio Cloud Chamber got hit with some heavy layoffs, losing 80 people—a third of its game development staff— as per a Bloomberg report that got picked up by Kotaku, IGN, The Verge and several other outlets.
The situation follows a major management shakeup that took place just before Zelnick’s attempt at reassuring the public about the project’s health, so it is now unclear how this will impact the game—but we can expect it will be negative.
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BioShock 4 studio is hit with layoffs
Gimme the deets: What’s going on with BioShock 4
Well, as we covered recently, it all seemingly started a few weeks ago. Apparently, a BioShock 4 internal demo did not fare well on early testing and its narrative was lambasted by whoever saw it, forcing Cloud Chamber, a studio within Take-Two Interactive subsidiary, 2K Games, to give it a complete overhaul.
Not only that, but the game’s management got removed from the project and the studio’s head, Kelley Gilmore, got ousted. Strauss Zelnick went on IGN and assured everyone, with “hand on heart, without question”, that the game would come out.
Not that this did much to minimize fears of a potential cancellation: social media had the usual traction on the topic, but news on the game went into silent mode once again.
That is…until today.
So, BioShock 4 studio got some heavy layoffs
Bloomberg’s report went live on Tuesday, while most of the gaming media picked up on it on Wednesday (August 20). Every outlet quoted an internal memo, stating a new studio head…and “reducing the size”—a dreaded expression that sends chills down the spine of every professional out there, definitely.
“Work on the next BioShock game has been underway for several years. While we’re excited about the foundational gameplay elements of the project, we’ve made the decision with studio leadership to rework certain aspects that are core to a BioShock game, and in doing so are reducing the size of the development team to focus on this work and give the game more time in development.”
Cloud Chamber
The above bit is apparently part of a larger content—one that also announced former Gears of War head and Diablo franchise lead Rod Fergusson as head of BioShock and Cloud Chamber. Ferguson did leave Activision Blizzard King a little earlier than this whole thing, without a public explanation. Now we know why.
Does this mean BioShock 4 is in danger?
Well, no, not really. While all these situations are certainly problematic for any game—regardless of size—the fact that 2K Games and Take-Two are still doubling down on a game that was announced before the pandemic do show a passion for commitment.
Also, it is important to note that Rod Fergusson has experience in pulling games off the so-called “development hell”. Specifically, BioShock: he was part of the team facing BioShock Infinite’s multiplayer hurdles back in 2012.
Thing is, “Infinite’s multiplayer hurdles” were not overcome, but outright cut. What does that mean for BioShock 4? Nobody knows, but the game still lacks a release window prediction: originally, it was slated for late 2026, but the recent layoffs might’ve thrown a wrench on those gears.
Guess we’re still stuck in waiting mode…
