Things are not looking good for Take-Two’s much-anticipated shooter follow-up, BioShock 4, as the title has been plagued with troubles after reportedly being in development for over a decade, but still, the company is adamant that the game is in no danger of cancellation.
Speaking to IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was quick to rebut speculation when asked if the game was in any danger of being cancelled. “It’s going to come out,” he replied. “That I can say hand on heart, without question.” Despite this, he did admit that development isn’t going smoothly, a fact that was previously made known with a recent Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier detailing a change in leadership and a narrative overhaul after the title failed a review by 2K Games executives.
“We don’t talk about how long our development cycles are. We have had some ups and downs along the way. That is accurate. And we have had changes in studio leadership,” he continued. “we have very big shoes to fill because of the legacy of Ken Levine, the legacy of what has gone before, which has been so successful.”
“And we need to make sure that this experience is true to the BioShock DNA on the one hand, and a massive step forward on the other hand. That’s always challenging. We think we’re up to the challenge, but it has not been seamless.”
Zelnick also touched on the topic of lengthy game development cycles, and how modern titles tend to have a longer gestation period as audiences are not only expecting the product to not just be good, but rather surpass expectations. While this isn’t exactly the news that fans who have been waiting for the next title want to hear, at least they can rest easy knowing that the team is taking the time to get it right.
This sentiment is further echoed by a statement 2K Games issued to Bloomberg on the state of BioShock 4, which reads: “We are working hard 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.”
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
