According to a new report, Take-Two Interactive is overhauling parts of the upcoming BioShock and has reshuffled its leadership team following a failed internal review by publisher 2K Games.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier on August 1, “people familiar with the situation” claim the next entry in the BioShock series “recently failed a review by executives at 2K Games,” with the game’s narrative highlighted as needing improvement and therefore being “revamped” in the coming months.
The fourth mainline entry in the FPS series was confirmed to be in development at 2K Games-owned studio, Cloud Chamber, back in 2019, with Firaxis veteran Kelley Gilmore confirmed as studio head. This upcoming entry will be the series’s first new entry since BioShock Infinite’s release in 2013.
However, Schreier’s report claims senior executives “expressed they were unhappy with the game’s development” following the internal review and, as a result, 2K Games has “ousted” Gilmore. Creative director Hogarth de la Plante has also reportedly been moved to a publishing role.
A 2K Games spokesperson confirmed these leadership changes to the publication, saying the publisher is “fully committed to ensuring we deliver a BioShock game that exceeds the lofty expectations of our fans.”
Bloomberg’s sources also claim that in a recent all-hands meeting, studio staff were told that “the company needs to become more agile and efficient, leading to worries that layoffs may follow.” These sources also claim 2K Games was working on a remake of the first BioShock, but the game was “shelved earlier this year.”
In a statement released to the publication, 2K Games said it is “working hard to set BioShock up for the best possible future.”
“Right now, we have a good game, but we are committed to delivering a great one. We are working closely with leadership at the studio to define this path.”