New BioShock Sequel May Release Sooner Than You Think

Can you believe that it’s been six years since BioShock Infinite released? The series, famed for its fantastic storytelling and world-building, has been on hiatus for the entirety of this console generation, an absence that’s been felt by millions with fond memories of exploring Rapture and Columbia.

The long-awaited announcement earlier this week that a new series entry is in the works couldn’t have come sooner, then, but just how much longer will fans have to wait for its release? Beyond confirming that the title, which currently has no official name, is in active development, publisher 2K declined to specify even a rough launch window or, for that matter, how long recently formed studio Cloud Chamber has been working on the project.

Thanks to recent reports, though, it appears that BioShock‘s return could be much closer than first thought.

As per Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, sources familiar with the project have revealed to the site that work on BioShock 4 – then codenamed ‘Parkside’ – has actually been ongoing since 2015. For reasons unknown, however, 2K ultimately decided to scrap this version of the sequel and instead decided to pursue another reboot in-house, thus forming Cloud Chamber in 2017. To make a long story short, the current iteration of BioShock‘s upcoming sequel has actually been in development for around two years already, meaning you could be facing off against Big Daddies – or their alternative – in the near future.

Development cycles vary from game to game, of course, but current signs certainly seem outwardly positive. As for when fans can expect to start seeing first gameplay make the rounds, we’re holding out hope for, at the very least, an announcement at next year’s E3. If we’re lucky, there might even be more than that. Fingers crossed!