BioShock 4 Is Alive (Sort Of), and It’s Taking Us to a Frozen Hell in Antarctica

Rumor Mill
Written By NLM Team

We finally have a pulse on the vaporware formerly known as BioShock 4, and it looks like we are trading underwater tubes for snowsuits.

It feels like BioShock 4 has been in development since the actual 1960s. The project at studio Cloud Chamber has been shrouded in silence since 2018, leading most of us to assume it was stuck in the deepest circle of development hell. While reports from Bloomberg suggest the game has undergone massive narrative rewrites and might not hit shelves until after 2027, a new report from MP1st has dropped a massive dossier of leaks that gives us our first real look at what is going on down in the ice.

Welcome to Borealis: Rapture on Ice

According to the leak, the game is set in a 1960s Antarctic city called Borealis. If you loved the isolation of Rapture but wished it was colder, this is for you.

The leaked assets point to a society on the brink of collapse (naturally). There are references to a district called "Solaria" or "Solaris," populated by a class of individuals known as "Solarians." Whether these are the wealthy elites sunning themselves under artificial lights or a terrifying faction of enemies remains to be seen, but the naming convention screams "class warfare."

We also know that snow mechanics are going to be huge. The leak confirms weather effects will be central to the atmosphere, alongside massive canyon-style landscapes. It sounds like the developers are aiming to retain that stylized, slightly exaggerated art style from BioShock Infinite rather than going for hyper-realism.

Meet the 'Flushers' (Please Don't Ask Why They Are Called That)

It wouldn't be BioShock without drug-addled maniacs trying to kill you with rusty pipes. The leak references a new enemy type labeled as a "Male Flusher."

While the name leaves... a lot to be desired, these seem to be the Borealis equivalent of Splicers. The report also mentions the return of ADAM in some capacity. This confirms that the superpower-inducing, addiction-causing substance is back, which explains why everyone in this Antarctic paradise has likely lost their minds. Expect to be fighting junkies who can shoot fire from their hands while you freeze to death.

A Golden God and a Sharp Suit

We also got a glimpse of the potential big bad. Leaked images show a massive golden statue of a stern male figure with his arms raised in an "Atlas-like" pose, holding up a central globe structure.

This fits the series' DNA perfectly. From Andrew Ryan to Zachary Comstock, BioShock loves a narcissistic leader who builds statues of themselves. If this guy is the antagonist, expect him to have a god complex and a lot of monologues about "purity" or "willpower."

As for the protagonist? Assets show a scale reference character model of a man in a sharp grey suit and tie. It gives off major Booker DeWitt vibes, leaning heavily into that mid-century aesthetic.

The Long Wait Continues

Here is the cold water: this game is likely years away. The report corroborates rumors of a turbulent development cycle with significant issues occurring around 2022. Narrative resets usually mean the game is being rebuilt from the bones up.

Ironically, if you want a BioShock fix, you are better off looking at Judas, the new game from series creator Ken Levine. That project actually has gameplay footage and seems to exist in our current reality. For now, BioShock 4 remains a frozen dream, but at least we know it has a setting.

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NLM Team
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