After a recent reliable leak from V Scooper on X that provides new details on BioShock 4, fans are completely divided over the game’s supposed open-world, “immersive sim” gameplay, as well as the project’s eventual release date (via Reddit).
A Major BioShock 4 Leak Has Landed
BioShock fans were already uncertain about BioShock 4 before the most recent leak, but now that uncertainty has kicked into overdrive. Many players have felt that a BioShock sequel isn’t even necessary, feeling satisfied with where the current games left things off and unsure if another game could live up to the franchise’s legacy.
Further, players find OG BioShock creator Ken Levine’s absence from the project concerning, and after reports last year of the game being in “development hell,” it’s hard for players to be excited about BioShock 4. The most recent leak does give players more insight into where the project stands, and according to V Scooper, it’s going to be “an immersive sim, where you investigate the regime behind a falling utopia in a dense, interconnected city.”
Players are losing it over what the leak implies, and are hopeful that this could be the first BioShock game to legitimately include “immersive sim” gameplay that allows for more diverse player choice than the original games, not to mention the “semi-open world” setting. While the BioShock games technically did have immersive sim elements, gameplay is more or less linear in each case.
As the leak suggests that BioShock 4 will go “deeper than ever” with the immersive sim aspects of gameplay, players like ResistanceEvermore think that “it’s definitely surpassing the past games in that regard.” However, not everyone is as hopeful, with players like Meitantei_Serinox saying, “Considering that the series never did an actual immersive sim system before, this doesn’t mean anything.
Is BioShock 4 Ever Actually Coming Out?
Fans are ambivalent about other aspects of the leak as well, and have raised concerns over what it means for the possible release window. The game has been in development for years now, with the first mention of its existence back in 2018, and after almost a decade, we’re still unsure if BioShock 4 is anywhere close to a release announcement or even an official teaser trailer.
Ultimately, it isn’t clear exactly where BioShock 4 stands in terms of development progress, though it appears that gameplay will be much larger in scope than previous games. The newest leaks raise more questions than answers, however, and unfortunately fans are likely in for a wait when it comes to official updates on the state of BioShock 4.