After reports just the other week that BioShock 4 was facing problems, it has been confirmed that the team is facing “restructuring”, as Rod Fergusson returns to the series.
Jason Schreier broke the news a few weeks ago that BioShock 4, which was announced way back in 2019 and has been suspiciously quiet since, failed a publisher review. According to his report, the 2K executives were unhappy with the story, which, of course, is the most important aspect of a BioShock game. As a direct result. Cloud Chamber’s leadership was shaken up, including head Kelley Gilmore being removed.
Today, Schreier posted on BlueSky that “BioShock 4 developer Cloud Chamber is laying off an unspecified number of staff.” While it wasn’t directly said, the implication is that the publisher is cleaning house at Cloud Chamber in a bid to get the project back on track.
He also revealed that Rod Fergusson was taking over as head of Cloud Chamber, which Fergusson himself has now confirmed.
“Some of you guessed it, I’m returning to 2K to lead a series that means a lot to me as the new Head of the BioShock Franchise,” Fergusson wrote on X. “I’ll be heading up Cloud Chamber and overseeing development of the next BioShock game, along with franchise extensions like the in-development Netflix movie.”
Fergusson departed the Diablo series just a few days ago, marking the end of his five year run with Activision-Blizzard. He previously worked on the BioShock franchise when he helped get BioShock Infinite across the finish line. It looks like he’s becoming some of a fixer in the industry, a figure called upon to help out floundering projects.
Fergusson also confirmed Cloud Chamber’s restructuring.
“While I’m excited to get started in the coming weeks, I recognize the studio restructuring is a difficult time for the team. I’m deeply grateful for the work done so far, and I’m committed to building a BioShock game we’ll be proud of and that our players will love.”