The studio developing the next BioShock game has reportedly undergone a leadership shuffle following an internal review with publisher Take-Two. Developer Cloud Chamber, which was set up at 2K Games in 2019 to work on a new BioShock game, has reportedly lost studio head Kelley Gilmore. The untitled BioShock game is also said to undergo changes in the coming months.
Next BioShock Game Set for ‘Overhaul’
A Bloomberg report on Saturday shed light on the state of the next BioShock, revealing that senior 2K executives were not happy with the game’s development. The untitled BioShock game failed a review with 2K Games, with parts of the project set for an overhaul, the report claimed, citing people familiar with the matter. 2K executives were reportedly not happy with the game’s narrative, an area that was identified in need of improvement.
As a result, developer Cloud Chamber has had a change of leadership, as well. According to the report, studio head Kelley Gilmore has left the studio. 2K has also moved the game’s creative director Hogarth de la Plante to a publishing role. The publisher has not announced the leadership change publicly, nor confirmed any replacements. Cloud Chamber could also see layoffs in the future, with 2K reportedly telling employees in a meeting that the studio needed to be more “agile and efficient”.
2K confirmed the changes to Bloomberg in a statement and it was working 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,” 2K said.
A company spokesperson added that 2K aimed to exceed fans’ expectations with the next BioShock title.
Cloud Chamber was set up in 2019 to work on the next BioShock game. The studio has offices in the San Francisco Bay Area (Novato, CA) and Montreal, Quebec. The team at the 2K-owned studio consists of developers who worked on older BioShock titles.
2K has not yet confirmed the official title of the next BioShock game. The last main entry in the acclaimed series, BioShock Infinite, was released in 2013. In 2016, 2K released BioShock: The Collection, which included enhanced versions of all three BioShock games.