BioShock 4’s Development is Going Through Hell, It’s Claimed

bioshock 4

On Twitter, a leaker has posted what seems to be an expansive exposé on the state of BioShock 4, claiming that, for a while now, the game has been firmly rooted in ‘development hell’. It was alleged that the project has been rebooted four times, the studio boasts inexperienced employees, and poor management has led to the project crumbling at its very foundations.

It has been more than ten years since the last BioShock game – Infinite – was released. That was a successful enough title, receiving critical acclaim and positive reviews across the board, but since then, the franchise has been plunged into darkness. It was generally assumed that BioShock 4 was in development behind closed doors, but the latest leak suggests that it may be suffering so badly that it might never be released.

Development Hell is No Joke

In the Twitter thread posted by user Oops Leaks, it was explained that the BioShock 4 project – otherwise referred to as BioShock Isolation – was rebooted in the summer of 2022 for the fourth time. There has reportedly been a high level of turnover internally that has led to inexperienced developers working on the project, and allegedly, they’re sorely mismanaged.

In one Tweet, Oops Leaks writes, with an unsourced quotation:

The narrative team has faced the biggest challenges, as they have been “unable to write a script worthy of a renowned franchise” over these years. This became a key factor of the reboot.

Oops Leaks on Twitter

However, it was also pointed out that in Take-Two’s recent earnings call – during which GTA 6’s release window may have been revealed – it was suggested that BioShock 4 is still on track to release the fiscal year 2025. That means it could drop anywhere from April 2025 to March 2026.

Ultimately, there have been no solid updates, and all we see is the employee churn and the leaks emerging of reboots, difficulties in development, and a lack of any kind of actual, tangible product. As a fan of the BioShock franchise, I’m personally remaining optimistic that something will be revealed in the next year or so.

Until then, we can all make do with Judas, an upcoming FPS headed up by Ken Levine, who worked previously on BioShock and BioShock Infinite. That’ll be released at some point on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.


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