Bioshock fans may well have a reason to rejoice very soon. In a recent earnings call at publisher Take Two Interactive, several games including Borderland 3 and Outer World were confirmed to release inside of this fiscal year. What has gamers and analysts pondering however, is that a select few titles remain unannounced for release late 2019 or early 2020. But why is it Bioshock that is pinging our radar?

Bioshock first graced us with its arrival way back in 2007. The game was received so well, critics from within and outside of the games industry hailed it as ‘a work of art’. The series would go on to release two further titles, each to resounding critical acclaim. However, the franchise’s continued life came into question after developer Irrational made some big changes. Creative Director, Ken Levine, downsized Irrational considerably and rebranded to Ghost Story Games to focus on narrative-heavy titles. The one string of hope Bioshock fans had to cling onto was that parent company 2K and publisher Take Two Interactive knew they held the rights to a cash cow in waiting.

Bioshock 4 May Have Been Spied First Hand

Shortly after Irrational’s rebranding to Ghost Story, Take Two stated publicly that it considered Bioshock as a franchise “a permanent one” and that “the closure of Irrational will not serve as the end of Bioshock”. So it is clear they remain committed to Bioshock. Most importantly, a report from Kotaku’s Jason Schrier continues to shed light on this. During one of his visits to 2K, he would later tweet that he saw ‘a top secret studio’ that he believed was working on a Bioshock game. While this may be very exciting, it does need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Nothing is yet confirmed. Say what you will about Schrier, his insider reports are usually bang on the money.

Among other details I learned while reporting this story: Right next to Hangar 13, a top-secret 2K studio is now working on a top-secret new BioShock game. — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 13, 2018

Finally, we have some positive news from renowned analyst Michael Pachter. He believes a new Bioshock title will release late 2019 or early 2020. Which places it perfectly among those select few unannounced titles from 2K.

“We will get major game announcements from Take-Two. I think we’ll hear about a new BioShock game and a new title from Rockstar, both for 2020. It would be cheating to say that the company will announce Borderlands, since it will probably happen before this article is published.”

With all that we have learned about a possible new Bioshock game, it could well be the standout of this year’s E3. All the tidbits of ‘evidence’ certainly make the Bioshock forecast look good. For now, we’ll have to make do with the Bioshock Collection and cross our fingers. A big reveal at E3 could be around the corner next week.