This is one question many fans have asked themselves over the last few days, after the announcement that Irrational Games will be shutting down. Nobody wants to see BioShock ending, especially after the success BioShock Infinite has seen. Irrational Games’ major hit of the last year, BioShock Infinite received critical acclaim and numerous prices, from best story to best artwork and even the Game of the Year award. So, now that Irrational has confirmed that it will be shutting down after the last BioShock Infinite DLC is released, we have a need to know what will happen to the franchise.
Publisher 2K Games has control over the BioShock rights now, and understanding this need has elaborated on the issue in an interview with Polygon. 2K declared that “BioShock is one of our most beloved and critically acclaimed franchises, and we are indebted to Ken and the talented team at Irrational Games for their contributions to the series with BioShock and BioShock Infinite; the latter being one of the most decorated games of 2013.”, and followed up on the idea by stating that “The BioShock universe remains a rich creative canvas for many untold stories, and we look forward to exploring the next BioShock experience.”.
Ok, so 2K Games has the ownership rights on BioShock, and they have a plan to keep the series going. We’re down with that! The problem is, we don’t know who will develop the next BioShock, and when development will begin. Usually, when a franchise is planned, the sequel to a title is already in production when the previous title releases. This ensures that the franchise has continuity, and fans don’t have to wait forever to get a sequel to their most beloved title. Of course, Valve and Half Life 3 are one notable exception *cough cough*. Still, considering how much time it took for BioShock infinite to be made (a development process that was not completely problem-free), it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing a BioShock game in the next 4-5 years.
Even if 2K Games gets a studio to work on a new BioShock ASAP, it will still be at least 3-4 years until we get something concrete. For now, we’re left with the hopes that Burial at Sea Episode 2 will be a worthy DLC for BioShock Infinite, and that it will be good enough to make us fantasize about a future BioShock for the years to come. The bottom line is this: there’s hope on the horizon, but it will take a long, long time until we’ll be seeing another BioShock game.