There hasn't been a new BioShock game since 2013, or 2014 if anyone is counting episode two of the Burial at Sea DLC, and it's likely that many fans had assumed that the series was dead in the water, so to speak. However, with BioShock 4 in development and possibly coming out this year, it could spell a triumphant return for the highly praised franchise that began with Ken Levine and 2K Games back in 2007. However, it's possible that there may be some hiccups at Cloud Chamber, the studio working on the next installment, which could lead to delays.
According to a recent report from ComicBook.com, which cites a tweet from a leaker, there are some issues in terms of the development of BioShock 4, namely that 40 staff members have allegedly left, or been let go from, the company, which could include some leads. On top of that, the leak also says that 2K is "not satisfied" with the game in its current state. Given these speculations, it may push back the final release date to as late as the end of 2024.
It's interesting that this leak comes at the same time as the announcement of the upcoming BioShock movie being made by Netflix. As the tweet doesn't make mention of this, it's unlikely that the two stories are connected, and that it could be a coincidence. Of course, it's worth saying that this is just a leak. Nothing has been announced by anyone involved with the game's development at the time of writing, so readers are best waiting to hear from official sources before passing judgment. If true, however, it would be a bit of a blow to the fan base who have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up for several years now.
Conversely, some may be holding back their excitement for BioShock 4, or BioShock Isolation as it may be called, as many feel that the original game set the bar enormously high and subsequent releases have not quite met the standards that players were after, despite 2013's Infinite achieving higher Metacritic scores. Add to that the fact that Levine is not involved with the upcoming game in any way, and some be a little bit skeptical about it overall.
That said, it would be interesting to see where a new BioShock entry could take the story. With the first game being considered one of the best first-person shooters of the last decade and a bit, there's still every reason to believe that Cloud Chamber could make something of the series, even without Levine at the helm.
BioShock 4 is currently in development.
Source: ComicBook