Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick says he is feeling better about the next BioShock game, while also acknowledging that the long-running project lost time and money on ideas that did not work.
In an interview with Game File, Zelnick was asked about the years-long wait for a new BioShock and whether the project's development difficulties had surprised him. He pushed back on the idea of surprise, but not on disappointment.
"Think about what 'surprise' implies," Zelnick said. "That's like, one day, everything's awesome, and the next day, I'm like, 'Holy shit.' And I don't run the business that way. But I think if you're saying 'disappointed,' yes. Deeply disappointed."
The new BioShock has been public since December 2019, when 2K announced Cloud Chamber as a new studio working on the next entry in the series. At the time, 2K said the game would be in development for the next several years. More than six years later, Take-Two still has not shown or dated the project.
Zelnick said he was "feeling a lot better" about the game now, then paused when asked what had been so hard about development. His answer pointed to the creative direction, not a single technical issue or business decision.
"I think finding the right creative purchase was hard, as it turns out," Zelnick said.
When asked if he meant the concept, he added: "I think we, in retrospect, wasted a lot of time and money chasing down some creative alleys that turned out to be dead ends."
That is unusually direct language for a project that has still not had a formal reveal. BioShock has been dormant since BioShock Infinite launched in 2013, following BioShock in 2007 and BioShock 2 in 2010. The new game is not just another sequel on a normal schedule, it is Take-Two's attempt to revive one of 2K's best-known franchises after more than a decade away.
The comments also follow a difficult period around Cloud Chamber. Game File's interview references earlier public reporting from Bloomberg about leadership changes at the studio, later layoffs and the arrival of longtime producer Rod Fergusson to oversee the new BioShock. Fergusson previously helped finish BioShock Infinite and later managed Blizzard's Diablo franchise.
Zelnick framed the false starts as part of entertainment development, comparing large game projects to movies that only prove themselves once the pieces come together. The hopeful part for BioShock fans is that Take-Two's CEO is now willing to say the project is in a better place. The caution is that the company still has not announced a title, platforms or release window for the next BioShock.