New BioShock game announced from new 2K studio

The publisher has announced they’ve formed a new studio called Cloud Chamber, who have begun work on “the next iteration” of the BioShock franchise.  

A kicker to this announcement is we’ll have a long wait on our hands for its release, describing how it’ll be in development “for the next several years”.  

Cloud Chamber will be based across two locations at 2K’s San Francisco Bay Area headquarters and a new Canadian office in Montreal, Quebec.  

Speaking about the announcement, President of 2K David Ismailer, said: “As we continue growing our product portfolio, we remain inspired by opportunities to invest further in our valuable IP, great people and their collective, long-term potential.  

“BioShock is one of the most beloved, critically praised and highest-rated franchises of the last console generation. We can’t wait to see where its powerful narrative and iconic, first-person shooter gameplay head in the future with our new studio team at Cloud Chamber leading the charge.” 

Kelley Gilmore will head the new studio, who previously worked at 2K studio Firaxis Games on franchises like Sid Meier’s Civilisation and XCOM.  

The original BioShock released in 2007 and was developed by Irritational Games, led by Ken Levine, who also spearheaded third game BioShock Infinite in 2013.  

BioShock 2, meanwhile, was developed by a different studio altogether at 2K Marin – which wasn’t as critically acclaimed as the above entries.  

Considering we haven’t had a new BioShock game since 2013, this news will delight many fans – although the time we’ll have to wait for release is a slight sore point.  

It’s not specified which platforms it’ll be released on, although it’s safe to assume it’ll be a next generation title for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett.  

The biggest question is whether we’ll be visiting an entirely new location. The first two games were set in the underwater city of Rapture, while Infinite took place in flying steampunk city Columbia. Could this next entry return to Columbia in a similar vein to BioShock 2? Let the speculation wheel spin.