BioShock Developer Cloud Chamber Faces Layoffs with New Head of Studio Announced

Former executive at Blizzard for the Diablo Franchise, Rod Fergusson, returned to 2K as Head of the BioShock franchise, an announcement the development leader publicized on LinkedIn. The news was accompanied by a restructuring of Cloud Chamber, the studio responsible for BioShock 4’s development, resulting in an unknown number of layoffs. 

The new SVP at 2K Games communicated his excitement to return to the series, alongside acknowledging the difficulty the team faces through its restructuring. 

“I’ll be heading up Cloud Chamber and overseeing development of the next BioShock game, along with franchise extensions like the in-development Netflix movie,” Rod Fergusson wrote on LinkedIn.

The restructuring, according to IGN, which sources an email from 2k president David Ismailer, was a direct response to reworking certain aspects core to the BioShock game, which involved changing studio leadership, referring to Rod Fergusson’s reimplementation to the series. 

“These changes are rooted in 2K’s firm confidence in BioShock as one of the most beloved franchises, and our commitment to deliver the best game in franchise history,” David Ismailer reportedly wrote in an email to staff. 

Kelley Gilmore, the previous studio head, was ousted from the studio by 2K while creative director Hogarh de la Plante was shifted over to a publishing role, according to a report from Bloomberg. Gilmore has yet to update her LinkedIn profile to match the news development, and had served as the studio head for over seven years.

BioShock 4 was initially reported on in 2018, with little information readily available since its announcement. As of writing, no gameplay and little narrative context for the game have been shown. The game’s release date has not been revealed.