Gears of War-bossen Rod Fergusson kliver in för att styra upp utvecklingen av Bioshock 4

Precis som vi rapporterade i början av månaden befinner sig det fjärde, kommande Bioshock-spelet i en ytterst märklig situation där ord som "limbo" samt "development hell" använts för att beskriva den problematik som gör att spelet nu delvis görs om. 2K-ägda Cloud Chamber meddelar att de varslar en del av personalstyrkan, att spelet ska arbetas om och de tar även in Rod Fergusson för att hjälpa dem att slutföra utvecklingen. Rod var en nyckelspelare i utvecklingen av Gears of War 3 samt 4, han styrde upp slutspurten under produktionen av Bioshock Infinite samt Diablo 4 och inom branschen beskrivs han som "The Closer" då han är en regelrätt expert när det kommer till att samla trupperna och nå slutmålet.

Rod via Bluesky:
"Would you kindly allow me to share some news? I'm returning to 2K as Head of the BioShock Franchise, leading Cloud Chamber! I'm deeply grateful for the work the studio has done so far, and I'm committed to building a BioShock game we'll be proud of and that our players will love." Källa

2K Games president David Ismailer mailade ut detta till studion under gårdagen:
"BioShock is woven deeply into the fabric of 2K. It's one of our most beloved franchises and respecting its legacy and meeting our fans' expectations is critical to its future success. Work on the next BioShock game has been underway for several years. While we're excited about the foundational gameplay elements of the project, we've made the decision with studio leadership to rework certain aspects that are core to a BioShock game, and in doing so are reducing the size of the development team to focus on this work and give the game more time in development.

I know this is tough news for everyone. If your role is being affected, you'll hear from your manager or studio leadership today with details on severance, career services and support resources. There is no easy way to do this, but we hope to do whatever we can to support you through this. I want to thank each of you for your dedication and hard work. I also want to share an important studio leadership update. After an extensive search, I'm excited to announce Rod Fergusson will be leading Cloud Chamber as the new Head of the BioShock Franchise. Rod is an industry veteran with a proven history of critical and commercial success, including BioShock Infinite, Gears of War, and Diablo. Rod rejoins us from Blizzard, where he was GM of the Diablo franchise and launched Diablo IV - Blizzard's fastest-selling game ever.

As Head of the BioShock Franchise, Rod will lead Cloud Chamber and oversee the development of the next BioShock game, as well as franchise extensions including our film partnership with Netflix. We will share more about Rod's onboarding and how these changes will take shape in the coming days and weeks. Rod and I worked together 10+ years ago and I am grateful he has chosen to return to lead our BioShock efforts. I recognize that today is a day of mixed emotions. We're excited to have Rod joining us, and are equally grateful to everyone at Cloud Chamber who has helped us get this far. 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."