Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has assured that BioShock 4 is still on track for release despite a tumultuous development cycle and recent executive changes at Cloud Chamber, the studio behind the game.
Speaking ahead of Take-Two’s latest 2025 quarterly earnings report, Zelnick directly addressed concerns about the game’s potential cancellation. “It’s going to come out,” he promised. “That I can say hand on heart, without question.”
Zelnick acknowledged the game’s challenging development, stating, “We have had some ups and downs along the way. That is accurate. And we have had changes in studio leadership.” He attributed these challenges to the high expectations set by the franchise’s legacy, particularly the work of Ken Levine. “We have very big shoes to fill on BioShock because of the legacy of Ken Levine, the legacy of what has gone before, which has been so successful,” Zelnick explained. “And we need to make sure that this experience is true to the BioShock DNA on the one hand, and a massive step forward on the other hand. That’s always challenging. We think we’re up to the challenge, but it has not been seamless.”
Recent reports by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier shed further light on the game’s issues, indicating that “the game’s narrative was identified as an area that was particularly in need of improvement and will be revamped in the coming months.” Schreier also reported that Cloud Chamber staff were informed in an all-hands meeting that the company needed to become “more agile and efficient,” raising concerns among employees about potential layoffs.
The last BioShock game, BioShock Infinite, was released in 2013. The extended development time for BioShock 4 is not unique in the current triple-A video game landscape, where development cycles are increasingly lengthy. Zelnick concurred with this trend, attributing it to evolving consumer expectations. “I think it’s a reflection of the fact that as entertainment businesses mature, consumers seek quality and everyone realizes that the consumer is highly demanding and properly so,” he said.
Zelnick emphasized Take-Two’s core strategy: “The strategy of this company has always been to make the best entertainment, not necessarily the most entertainment. Of course, sometimes we’ve fallen short, but frankly a precious few times.” He added, “And I think some of our competitors have realized maybe a little late in the day that consumers are not okay with okay. Good is the new bad, great is the new great. And our goal here is to make everything exceptional.”
While refraining from criticizing other companies, Zelnick highlighted Take-Two’s preference to “fail fast if we’re going to fail.” He noted, “And we have made some hard decisions relatively early on. But we too have occasionally canceled titles well into their development. So it’s hard. What we’re all doing is hard.”
In a statement to Bloomberg, 2K Games affirmed its commitment to the project: “We are 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.”
The precise release date for BioShock 4 remains unconfirmed, but the statements from Take-Two and 2K Games indicate a determined effort to overcome development hurdles and deliver a high-quality product that meets the expectations of the franchise’s significant legacy.
