One of the biggest complaints that fans of the series levied against BioShock Infinite was that it pulled too far from the series' origins with horror and leaned into being a more generic shooter. Now, as fans are excited for BioShock 4, it might be best for Cloud Chamber Studio to continue the controversial decision to divert away from BioShock's origins and leave the horror aspects behind.
Taking the ending of BioShock Infinite into account, the opportunities for BioShock 4 really are endless as long as the next game follows the familiar conventions outlined by Elizabeth during the Doors to Everywhere scene. Considering that the new development studio working on the game mostly consists of relatively fresh eyes on the series, missing many of the lead writers, designers, and animators from the original, this new team might do best by leaving their own mark on BioShock.
This new era of BioShock could take a number of different forms, and players simply can't know until Cloud Chamber is ready to show off footage of what the studio has developed so far. Of course, even early trailers might not even be exactly what players will eventually get their hands on, something that happened with the previous game's initial trailers as well. However, leaning on the ending of BioShock Infinite could pave the way forward for the new developer looking to make the next set of BioShock games stand out.
BioShock's Standard Conventions
There are three rules established by Elizabeth's speech at the end of BioShock Infinite: there is always a lighthouse, there is always a man, and there is always a city. These are the basic tenants that BioShock 4 will need to abide by in order to still fit into the larger universe of the series, but there is more to the formula than those three laws. On top of there being the man at the top, there is also the innocent and her protector, as well as an initially helpful opposition to the leader who eventually uses and betrays the man's "better half" for their own gain.
This is the initial formula built off of Andrew Ryan, the Little Sisters, and Frank Fontaine, who are reflected in BioShock Infinite as Comstock, Elizabeth, and Daisy Fitzroy. Then there are Jack and Booker, the main characters that represent the alter ego of the man at the top and act as the only ones who can take the whole system down. From here, BioShock 4's story is already written for the most part, with Cloud Chamber just needing to find new names to fill these slots and fit the familiar elements into the next title for a wider audience.
Open Up the Series to a Wider Audience
So, after looking how the series can move forward, while still keeping to the original elements, the next thing for Cloud Chamber to keep in mind is for how to best reach out to the largest audience possible. One of the best ways to attract both veteran fans and new players would be to keep the BioShock name and themes while stepping away from the horror aspects that might turn some people away. The original is and always will be an icon of horror, but that doesn't mean that the series has to stay funneled into the single genre, as BioShock Infinite has already proven.
This isn't to say that horror on its own is something to be avoided, in fact the genre has a steady following across all mediums from games, to movies, to books, to scary stories around the campfire. However, there are few genre's quite as divisive as horror, where most viewers either love horror or hate it, with very little middle ground among anyone watching or playing anything within the genre. So, BioShock 4 could act in the same that BioShock Infinite's action gameplay acted as a gateway for players to jump into the series and later appreciate the original.
Jump From Sci-Fi to Fantasy
Continuing to follow BioShock Infinite's lead, Cloud Chamber should continue jumping genres and even take a new turn on the underlying Sci-Fi that connects all three games. This could help lead to BioShock 4 standing out among the crowd as well, something that will likely be the most important aspect that the new developer will be focusing on during development. Considering the levels that the science in BioShock's Sci-Fi formula have gone in the past, the door is already pretty much open for a transition into a Fantasy setting.
As BioShock 4 introduces a new setting, this could also be the chance to take a new look at the ADAM, Plasmids, and Vigors that powers the special abilities that make up the core of the gameplay. Transitioning the abilities from bottles and injections to spells could also give Cloud Chamber an easier entrance into the series, being able to keep the iconic abilities without needing a convoluted scientific explanation. Similarly, a new fantasy genre can help make the next city even more out of this world as the underwater city of Rapture and the flying city of Columbia.
Keep Swapping Genres for a New Trilogy
It's unclear exactly what the plan is for the future of Cloud Chamber's upcoming BioShock 4, but considering the previous business practices of 2K games, a whole new trilogy wouldn't be out of the question. In that case, then the discussion at Cloud Chamber likely isn't about a single game right now. Instead, the developer may be looking at how to build a whole new series off of the original trilogy and taking these new themes and ideas forward for three new games.
If this is the plan, then the theme of this new trilogy should lean in on the Doors to Everywhere and start hopping around across the infinite worlds beyond the infinite lighthouses. It's a similar theme that was explored to great effect in BioShock Infinite's DLC campaign Burial at Sea. Essentially, now that the curtain has been lifted on the secrets of the BioShock universe, BioShock 4's logical step forward is to fully explore exactly what the limits of these alternate worlds are.
BioShock 4 is reportedly in development by Cloud Chamber Studio