Job listings suggest the new BioShock game is open world

You may have forgotten but there’s a new Bioshock game in the works at a brand new 2K studio called Cloud Chamber. They are busy hiring people and one of the job listings, as spotted by PCGamesN, seems  to suggest Bioshock 4 will be open world.

Cloud Chamber is looking for a Senior Writer to join our talented Narrative team to bring the world of BioShock to life once again. Under the supervision of the Lead Writer, and collaborating closely with the Narrative and Design teams, our Senior Writer will craft memorable narrative arcs, write dialogue, and breathe life into our characters. Experience in writing for games, with a particular aptitude  for managing the nuances of interactive storytelling, would be ideal for this role. We’re hoping to find someone who can weave impactful, character-driven stories in an open world setting. 

Previous Bioshock games have been very linear, storytelling in a open world where the player can wander off and do wahetevr they like is much harder than if they are funnelled through a series of levels where set pieces can be planned.  Other job listings mention an “urban crowd system” and “the systemic tribal ecology of a sometimes hostile AI.”

When the new studio and game was announced back in December 2019 David Ismailer, President of 2K said the following :

“As we continue growing our product portfolio, we remain inspired by opportunities to invest further in our valuable IP, great people and their collective, long-term potential. BioShockis one of the most beloved, critically praised and highest-rated franchises of the last console generation*. We can’t wait to see where its powerful narrative and iconic, first-person shooter gameplay head in the future with our new studio team at Cloud Chamber leading the charge.”

Hollywood star Eddie Redmayne recently revealed that both he and Jamie Dornan were up for the same part in the cancelled Bioshock movie. The two stars were in conversation with Variety and Eddie had this to say to Jamie:

You [Dornan] and Andrew Garfield and I were texting, trying to remember what those things were. And one of them was “BioShock” [a movie based on a video game, which never got made]. You remember “BioShock”? We were furious with each other as we were going through it, and competing for the same role.

The BioShock movie was first announced in 2008 but hit problems almost immediately. In 2009 Universal told producer Gore Verbinski to trim back the budget before work was eventually halted in February 2011 because the studio was willing to back an R rated movie and Verbinski was unwilling to tone down the game for a PG-13 audience.

Source: PCGamesN