A recent job posting has confirmed that the next entry in the Bioshock series will take place in an open-world setting. This is among the biggest pieces of news regarding the upcoming title since it was announced late in 2019. Although developer 2K was clear that the game would not be released for several years after the announcement, the fact that it has now been almost two full years since the reveal begs the question of when fans will see any updates. This is especially true as the series has remained dormant since Bioshock Infinite was released in 2013.
An open-world setting seems to be the most natural next step for Bioshock. Although the environments the games take place in have continuously grown larger and more detailed, the games themselves have always been among the more linear single-player titles on offer. Having a linear structure is by no means a bad thing, but it may now be time for a substantive change to the formula. Games like 2018’s God of War are a prime example of how significant changes can be welcomed with open arms by fans, and other titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Red Dead Redemption 2 are two of recent examples of how fulfilling an open-world adventure can be.
The job posting itself can be found on the Cloud Chamber website, which calls for a Senior Writer “who can weave impactful, character-driven stories in an open world setting.” Cloud Chamber itself is the newest development studio founded by 2K, and Bioshock 4 is set to be its first project. The posting also requires that the Senior Writer be proficient in brainstorming primary and secondary mission content, creating the game’s core story, and creating documentation related to the game. Essentially, the person who fills this position will oversee Bioshock 4’s story, which is an incredibly important function.
Another reason Bioshock 4’s story will be such a crucial point is due to Bioshock Infinite’s ending, which established the existence of a multiverse. Prior to this, it was assumed that the previous games in the series all took place in the same universe and explored events that happened as part of a continuous timeline. The existence of a multiverse, as explained by Elizabeth, means that all the games could theoretically be taking place at the same time. Should Bioshock 4 choose to expand on this, it’s possible that the open-world setting could include these other universes. The possibilities that arise because of this are essentially infinite.
This is the longest that Bioshock fans have ever had to go without a new release in the series. Prior to Bioshock 4, each game has come out within three years of its predecessor. However, creating an open-world game is far more involved than creating a linear one and it does not appear that Cloud Chamber has been working on it for particularly long. However, now that the company is hiring a Senior Writer, it can be assumed that the game is beginning to take serious shape. If all goes well, Bioshock 4 updates should start becoming more frequent in the near future.
Source: Cloud Chamber