BioShock 4 has become one of those games that feels like it might never see the light of day, only to suddenly show a faint pulse just when we’ve stopped looking. The project has been in development at studio Cloud Chamber since 2018, yet after all this time, we have scarce details and not a single frame of official footage.
A report from Bloomberg paints a picture of development hell, revealing narrative rewrites that may have delayed the launch well past 2027. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, however, remains publicly confident about the publisher’s upcoming lineup, stating that the game “is going to come out” eventually.
On a brighter note, we haven’t been left entirely in the dark, as we’ve received a few crumbs in the form of leaks over the years. One of these was the reveal of a setting placed in a 1960s Antarctic city called Borealis, while others have offered a raw glimpse into production, such as the early development image we revealed in our report from last year.
Now, for the part you are likely most interested in: we have recently obtained a collection of previously unreleased details about the game. These details include planned locations, a look at assets that may reveal the main villain and protagonist, a brief insight into development, and more.
First Look at the Setting and Environment Details
It wouldn’t be a BioShock game without a society on the brink of collapse. Among the things we’ve learned from this game, there are a few locations we’re bound to see, like the inclusion of a prominent casino. This inclusion makes perfect sense, as we have repeatedly seen gambling throughout the series, most notably via slot machines. This time, however, it seems to be on a grander scale, potentially serving as the stage for a major set-piece battle.
Additionally, separate intel points to a specific district or location named “Solaria” (or “Solaris”). While not depicted in the visual assets we’ve obtained, we have heard multiple mentions of this place, along with a specific class of individuals known as “Solarians”. Whether these are the elites controlling the city, a faction of enemies, or simply everyday citizens remains to be seen.
On the environmental side, we know that snow will play a role in the game’s atmosphere. This might come as a no-brainer to those following the reports of an Antarctic setting, but the confirmation of these weather effects suggests that it could be central to the experience.
However, beyond the frozen exterior, we also have assets that appear to be early technical tests, confirming the inclusion of massive, canyon-style landscapes. Considering the snow, it will be interesting to see how this is implemented. We can also see assets for cables and machinery that, even though they are nothing mind-blowing, certainly help us confirm that the artist’s aim is to retain the stylized look seen in BioShock Infinite.
A Brief Glimpse at the Characters
Perhaps most exciting for long-time fans is the possible return of an ecosystem similar to the original games. While we haven’t seen the word “Splicer” explicitly, we have found references to a specific individual or entity labeled as a “Male Flusher”. While their role is unconfirmed, we speculate that these “Flushers” could function as this city’s equivalent to the Splicers of Rapture.
Furthermore, we have heard about the possible return of the ADAM substance in some capacity. This substance from the first two games is known for granting superhuman abilities to its users and for causing addiction with its overuse, which fuels the hypothesis of crazed citizens roaming the city again.
As for who could be pulling the strings from behind the curtain, we have obtained images of a striking golden statue depicting a stern male figure. He is shown with arms raised high in an Atlas-like pose, a stance that clicks into place when viewing the third picture, which displays three of these identical figures hoisting three world-like spheres to support a massive central globe structure overhead.
Considering the detail put into elements of the statue, like the facial features and the hairstyle, we theorize that it’s supposed to represent the game’s central antagonist. This follows the series’ long-standing tradition of villains who are venerated by their own cities, much like Andrew Ryan in BioShock or Zachary Comstock in Infinite.
Now that we have seen the villain, you might want to meet the hero. Well, if you have been paying attention to the pics featuring assets, you might notice that alongside the rocks, there’s a small character placed there as a scale reference, which could be the first look at our main protagonist. The figure appears to be a man clad in a sharp, grey suit and tie, fitting perfectly with the mid-century aesthetic the series is known for.
Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that this is merely a placeholder for a standard NPC rather than the main hero. However, his sharp attire bears a striking resemblance to the Booker DeWitt archetype, and the fact that this specific model was chosen to demonstrate the environment’s scale certainly raises our eyebrows.
Unfortunately, it’s known that getting to this point hasn’t been easy. Our sources corroborate reports of a turbulent development cycle, specifically citing a difficult period in (or prior to) 2022. Now that we know the project is undergoing narrative changes, it is hard to predict how much might change from the iterations of the game seen here. Hopefully, despite the rewrites, the interesting details we’ve glimpsed here, and the core DNA of the series, will make the final cut.
Ironically, the game that currently looks closer to release is Judas, the new project from BioShock creator Ken Levine. Though this title also endured development hell, we recently received a fresh look at the game, confirming that the project is alive and well. If you are yearning for a spiritual successor that is basically a new BioShock in everything but name, this is certainly one to look out for.
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