Bioshock 4: Leak reveals era, setting and connection to Rapture

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The rumour mill around the new Bioshock is bubbling. Now an insider provides new info on the setting.

Officially, all we know about Bioshock 4 is that it’s in development. Otherwise, the developer studio Cloud Chamber has been as silent as the grave about the new shooter.

Nevertheless, information keeps leaking out, for example, hints of open-world approaches and role-playing elements in Bioshock 4 were discovered at the end of 2020.

Now there is new (and purely unofficial) info again: Author and games journalist Colin Moriarty revealed details about the setting of Bioshock 4 during a podcast episode, reported by (Gamepressure) and (Gamerant) among others.

Where does the info come from?

Colin Moriarty is a long-time games journalist, podcaster at Last Stand Media and developer himself. In 2020, he joined Lillymo Games as Chief Creative Officer and story writer. As part of his “Sacred Symbols PlayStation” podcast for Patreon supporters, he talked about the new Bioshock. His information was later confirmed by the usually well-informed website VGC (Video Games Chronicle), but is to be understood as a rumour until an official statement is made by the manufacturer.

What new info are we talking about?

The new info is primarily about the setting, basic story and setting of Bioshock 4.Moriarty makes the following statements:

  • Setting: Bioshock 4 is said to be set in Antarctica, specifically a fictional city called Borealis (Latin for “north”). Borealis is said to be a dystopian and isolated place, which coincides with speculations that the game will be called Bioshock: Isolation. As usual for the series, a lighthouse will once again play a central role.
  • Time Period: Bioshock 4 is said to be set in the 1960s, the same decade as the first Bioshock. Jack’s crash over the Atlantic and his discovery of Rapture take place in 1960, while Bioshock Infinite is set in 1912. The story is said to be closely interwoven with the three predecessors. It is unclear exactly how Borealis, Columbia and Rapture might be connected.

Curious Fun Fact: As the website (PCGamesN reports) reports, this scenario would incidentally be a great coincidence for fans of Half-Life, as the original concept of Half-Life 3 had envisaged Gordon Freeman searching the South Pole for a scientific research vessel called Borealis.

Reveal and release of Bioshock 4

According to Moriarty, the new Bioshock is scheduled for release in 2022. Title and release year were also confirmed by well-known CoD leaker RalphsValve on Twitter. He also talks about a reveal of the game as early as late 2021 or early 2022.

Many fans therefore assume that we will see a teaser at the Game Awards in December. However, this has not been confirmed.

Moriarty also draws parallels between Bioshock 4 and the new game by Bioshock creator Ken Levine, who is working on his very own story-focused sci-fi shooter  at Ghost Story Games (formerly Irrational Games). This title is also said to be on the development target line in the meantime.

Apparently, the projects are quite similar: “One is aware that these games are compared to each other. And by the way, both are published by Take-Two,” says Moriarty.