2K is bringing in Rod Fergusson, a renowned video game developer who has led the charge on franchises like Gears of War and Diablo, to help save BioShock 4… and this isn’t his first go at the series. The BioShock series is one of the most respected franchises in gaming. It has a rich, philosophical story infused with political themes, larger than life characters, and unique settings with immersive aesthetics. However, the world of BioShock has been dormant since the release of the troubled BioShock Infinite in 2013. The game had an extremely rocky development, but it miraculously turned out to be one of the best games in the franchise when it released.
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Developer Irrational Games was shut down about a year later, but owner Take-Two held on to the rights for the series. A few years later, it was confirmed that the tentatively titled BioShock 4 was in development. Now, nearly a decade later, BioShock 4 hasn’t even had a trailer, logo, or screenshot released. It was also recently reported that BioShock 4 was having major issues and it would prompt a leadership shake-up and potentially layoffs to developer Cloud Chamber. Now, we know who will be taking over the series and it is great news.
BioShock Studio Adds Ex-Gears of War and Diablo Boss to Save BioShock 4
Rod Fergusson recently left Blizzard to join Cloud Chamber where he will be the Head of the BioShock franchise. Not only will this allow him to oversee development of the next BioShock game, but he will also be involved with the upcoming Netflix movie which he assures is still in development, despite years of little movement on the project. Nevertheless, Fergusson seems pretty excited about his new role and fans should be too as he has worked on the series before.
Fergusson joined Irrational Games in the final year of development on BioShock Infinite essentially to just get the game released. He helped game director Ken Levine make tough decisions on what content they needed to cut in order to get the game out on time in spring 2013. It worked and helped cement Fergusson’s reputation as a “closer”, where he’s able to get projects across the finish line after years of development. Infinite would release in March 2013 and he would leave the company in April, feeling as though he accomplished what he was brought on to do. He would eventually go on to work on the next era of Gears of War at The Coalition.
It’s likely 2K is hoping to replicate his experience on BioShock Infinite with this new game. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick stated that he is confident that BioShock 4 will release and isn’t going to get scrapped because of its development issues. 2K has been clear in stating that they have a good game, but they want to make a great game and it will need an extra push to get there. Fergusson’s role also indicates that the publisher has big plans for the future of BioShock and this isn’t just a temp role like his one on Infinite.
Not much is known about BioShock 4, but it is believed to take place in an arctic city that is populated by Rapture refugees. It’s unclear if we will see Big Daddies or Little Sisters, as they were native to Rapture and didn’t appear in BioShock Infinite. It’s possible we will get new mechanical bosses, but the fact that Rapture is reportedly connected to the plot of this game could allow them to find a way to bring those staples back.
What do you want to see in BioShock 4? Let me know in the comments.
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