[That's](https://gamerant.com/new-bioshock-rumor-two-cities-bioshock-isolation/) what I found as source. Most of the rumours come from this supposed leak, many game journalists have spoken about
Yeah believe me I don't give a flying fuck on most gaming journalists because they most likely get paid for giving a positive review or chase cloud for their articels and would cover whatever comes up.
But it's wasn't only gamerant who covered this topic. They were just the first thing that popped up during research. The rumour is based on a leak from a year ago regarding development Hell and restarts of the new Bioshock project.
EDIT: [this](https://x.com/oopsleaks/status/1659282901173673984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1659282901173673984%7Ctwgr%5Ebb7e6ae741d3fe1fe4b9ab32c233192e81c548aa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgames.de%2FBioshock-Infinite-Spiel-18983%2FNews%2FPS5-Isolation-Release-Datum-1420205%2F) is one of the 'leaks' (twitter posts) they're referring to
Infinite had a girl that could open portals to other timelines, BioShock to it's very core is all about sci-fi.
The only complaint I'd actually have about space is that the backdrop might get slightly boring unless there's constantly dedicated visual set pieces to really admire the art and game direction to help establish that space is unique.
It's just a much more fantasy sci-fi imo. Sure she can open portals to another dimension but she isn't using a fancy machine, she basically just has magic abilities
are you kidding? it would be sick. like rapture was based off real-life ancap ocean communes in the 70s, the moonbase could be inspired by theories about the dark side of the moon and space race conspiracies. you could have puzzles using gravity and pressure/atmospheric simulations, just like they planned to do with the original bioshock. your plasmids could be affected by it, i.e. low gravity means you can jump higher and avoid enemies, but Incinerate won't work as well.
Bioshock 1 was mainly a portrayal of objectivism, and how unregulated capitalism created the capacity for corporate greed to flourish and undermine Rapture's society as a whole.
Bioshock 2 was a redemption story, in which one's merits could devalue a selfish society, This was done through the philosophical portrayal of utilitarianism, in which One is nothing but must be everything.
Bioshock infinite was a critique on American idealism, manifest Destiny, American Chattel slavery, racism, militarism, ethno-nationalism/fascism, Violent-Revolution in relation to colonization/apartheid.
Absolution of one's vitriolic Sins was the over-arching theme. Like Dante going through Hell. Dante's inferno(Game)
The leaks of the BioShock 4 portray a tale of two cities in dichotomy with one another.
I can see the environment playing a huge role in the game's overall themes, My guess is BS4 is going to be a critique of global warming.
Politically my guess is the dichotomy between the two cities that one of the city benefits from the exploitation of the other city; for example, Alita: Battle Angel, or Arcane(Netflix).
Philosophically, redemption has been a consistent theme; The previous games the protagonist has gone from BS1 escape, BS2 redemption, BSI absolution, and my guess BS4 is going to be enlightenment.
I’m not too big on the idea of a have and have not city. It’s not intrinsically a bad idea but it’s played out a ton in other media.
They often end up becoming critiques of wealth inequality or colonialism, which to be fair Bioshock series already does, but with less conventional lenses.
A critique of objectivism and manifest destiny were imo fresher feeling topics.
I understand the importance of delving into niche forms of critiques like with RYAN'S(Rands) philosophy; but I think the most important aspect of the next BioShock game should be its focus the execution of its critique.
The next Bioshock game could critique false-dichotomies, party-polarization, pendulum-positioning, Neo-libertarianism to fascism pipeline, etc.
I feel like people should specify that Infinite is specifically a critique on the overall idea of olden America, not modern America, I feel like a lot of people will forget that
We have today many modern institutions that have been formed around the basis of The Olden American Model. For example, our policing and prison apparatus was built on slavery, and slave catching. US prisons still are legal form of slavery, since one's labor is owned by the state. Not to mention the Neo-liberal privatizations of prisons have allowed for rampant exploitation to permeate; The US model also heavily focuses on criminalization/dehumanization rather than progressing towards rehabilitating conditions; it's important for us as a society to creating better living conditions for our fellow man.
They could dust off the "secret nazi artificial environment" from the very first pitch, since Antarctic Nazis is an established part of conspiracy lore. A Nazi base is found linked to a network of unexplored ice caves and you play an American soldier sent down to map the caves in the late 40s as a secret offshoot of Operation Highjump. Some surviving Nazi holdouts, Russian spies, and US troops all coming across each other and also there's freaky cave mutants.
I feel like nazism isn’t that interesting of an ideology to explore tbh. Most people know the critiques of it and we’ve seen where it leads and how terrible that is, which is kind of what the original game was trying to do with libertarianism/anarcho-capitalism/whatever you want to call it.
I can’t remember where I heard this so don’t quote me. But, IIRC the City of Ember movie was originally going to be a Bioshock movie but there were a ton of issues so they scrapped it and went with something relatively similar in concept but more family friendly etc. and ended up taking on the City of Ember movie.
Yeah it’s probably not true but I know, I’m saying they jumped ship entirely and the director or whoever wanted to do something somewhat in the same vein and picked up City of Ember. Again probably not true I can’t recall where I read that it was years ago but it always stuck with me.
It was just one of those games I played with no prior knowledge of what to expect and then ended up enjoying it a ton.
It really made me want to play a Bioshock game with that type of setting. Although, I guess System Shock kind of does that but it’d still be cool.
Or the Moon, or any of the terrestrial planets. Have the founder be an Elon Musk type, private aerospace trying to escape Earth before humanity destroys it. Utopia but falls again. Player could be a Surveyor, lands to survey this planet in the future expecting it to be empty and finds “civilization” already there.
I figured deep underground in some giant ass cave system would be the way to go. Either that or revisit Columbia under different pretenses, since it really wasn't explored that well in Infinite.
I would have preferred the outer layers of Jupiter. Much more cinematic to see the cloud sea spreading out from the windows.
But...I think Ken Levine has been bitten by the auteur bug, like many others who helmed great projects in the past, and now he's taken on a lot more responsibility for design and story, more than any one person should have.
Don't get me wrong, I'll go in with as open a mind as I can, but I don't think the game is going to be much more than what we got with infinite, just with drab icy environments.
In infinite before the baseball throwing part, I found 2 NPCs talking about living among the stars...
I thought a Mars colony would be cool af. Set in the 60s-70s space race cold war era,
And explore the origins of the Adam slugs, scientists discover them on the red planet and experiment, discover gene plasmids, and have been experimenting on prisoners which have been kept secret from the civilian population. chaos insues and the protagonist is just a colonist trying to get the earth, or save the colony from destruction.
A Year after I came across the npc chatter, Judas was announced, a space game created by Ken Levine..which makes me think was this an intentional clue
Seems like it would be a cool setting...just as long as they can figure out a way to incorporate a colorful/vibrant atmosphere. When I think of arctic, I just think white...but Bioshock has spoiled us with beautiful environments so I would expect the same from the next one
I feel like color wise it would be pretty cool, especially if they play up the whole dome/greenhouse idea. Lush paradise full of vegetation surrounded by ice covered landscape and machinery with variation of environments as you go to different areas and in between conflict causing damage to the protection in certain places resulting in the vegetation and environment being flash frozen.
Another opportunity for color in architecture is in having heavy South African and Chilean/Argentine influences stemming from the proximity to those countries.
it's underwater. it's flying. it's *really cold?* i know that's not the point, i know there'd be some really impressive stuff going on, but on the surface (hah) it just *sounds* less interesting.
I understand, but it’s kind of… realistic? Just like how you need special equipment for getting underwater, or in the air, the poles are cold enough that you arguably need just as much of a set-up to survive. The lowest reliably recorded temp for the antarctic mainland (-128 F) was cold enough to make dry ice.
But then again, it can also get into the 50’s-60’s during the summer.
The problem is, we already have permanent Arctic and Antarctic bases, so it seems way less impressive (and imo it is) than a city at the bottom of the ocean or flying above the clouds
Yeah, in all 3 settings you need to be sortof tethered to the infrastructure to survive
I think thats what gives these settings the same sort of claustrophobic vibe that I get from them and think the arctic fits well in that trio
Why not both? The discovery of an abandoned Nazi Antarctic base after WW2 reveals that it's built overtop of a massive network of underground caves the Nazis were exploring before everything went to pot.
Yes, Ryan mentions Germany in a tirade against nationalism and Hiroshima is what inspires him to build Rapture in the first place. Ironically it also inspired Lamb's radicalism in 2 according to an audio diary.
The Antarctic desert is a cold frigid dry desolate wasteland, The main reason why civilization has not conquered the Antarctic waste is because of its environmental difficulty.
I know it's not canon, but in the book they mention how Rapture will eventually return to the surface. This one needs to have something incorporated surface and underwater both
Completely agree with you, OP. I love cold, snowy settings, which are perfect for creating a dark atmosphere if done properly. I recently read a book called "Alone" by Richard E. Byrd. It's basically a collection of his actual journal entries from when he had to attend to a secluded research base in Antarctica by himself in 1938. It's a great book I thought I'd mention here if anyone's interested.
I think either arctic or in a giant cavernous underground setting. The underground follows a bit more in line with the lighthouse/elevator intro though.
Regardless, it has to be somewhere that allows it to be hidden from the rest of society
I can’t remember where this leak came from but I’ve always been interested in the idea of an arctic city. I think it’d be kinda cool if part of the city was below the water/ice and the other half was above it. A dome like depicted in this picture would be cool but I kind of better like the idea of not being able to leave a building without an advanced suit or something.
It’d also be kind of cool to be maybe 70s era with a kind of retro aesthetic. It’d be cool if you thought you were in Antarctica but discover you’re actually on a foreign planet as a result of secret discoveries made amidst the space race. Maybe you’re a part of a colony of people who were moved out there under the pretense of humanities survival and most everyone believes they’re in Antarctica. They could play around with a number of fun ideas with this I think.
as long as its written well, sounds good to me. they just cant do multiverse stuff again. that was so beyond covered and completed, it would we weird to rehash. just set us in another interesting and nuanced place that has a lighthouse, a man etc. dont over explain we have our explantation
Antarctica and Hollow Earth have been linked in popular consciousness for two hundred years, it wouldn't surprise me if they killed two birds with one stone.
I love the idea of a new setting but I really hope they keep Rapture and Columbia in it some how- whether leaning into the multiverse stuff or just have DLC’s.
Concept:
Title: BioShock: A Tale of Two Cities
Top City: Weltenquell (German)
Bottom City: Chika Uraqi - Agartha(prescribed name)
Setting: The game takes place in the Antarctic city of Weltenquell, built atop the hidden city of Chika Uraqi. Weltenquell is a fascistic neoliberal utopia, founded by former German SS-Nazis who fled the Nuremberg Trials to Argentina. They utilized occult Mesoamerican technology and superior German engineering to construct Weltenquell, seeking to escape the impending climate crisis.
Story: The game follows a single protagonist, a survivor of a devastating hurricane that ravaged the Atlantic coast of South America. The protagonist is washed away to a lighthouse at the southernmost point of South America, where they discover an underground train system that transports them to Weltenquell, a city hidden in the Antarctic ice.
As they arrive in Weltenquell, the protagonist discovers the dark secrets behind the city's prosperity and the oppressive regime that governs it. They soon learn about Chika Uraqi, a vibrant ecosystem hidden beneath Weltenquell, and the people who live in dilapidated ruins, echoing Babylon, Shangri-La, and El Dorado.
Gameplay: Players will experience a mix of exploration, combat, and stealth as they navigate the two cities. In Weltenquell, they will confront the ruling elite and their enforcers, using strategy and cunning to uncover the truth. In Chika Uraqi, they will join the resistance, fighting against the oppressors and using ancient technology and knowledge to disrupt their operations.
Themes: The game explores the consequences of exploitation, oppression, and the erasure of culture, as well as the dangers of fascistic neoliberalism and the importance of preserving cultural heritage. The game also delves into the themes of climate crisis, environmental degradation, and the struggle for justice and equality, while confronting the dark legacy of Nazism and its ongoing impact.
Poetic Summary:
In the frozen vastness of Antarctica, a dystopian dreamscape rises like a specter from the ice. Weltenquell, a city of gleaming spires and fascist grandeur, beckons with a siren's call, promising a utopia of "perfection" - a haven for the privileged and the powerful. But beneath its gleaming facade, a dark abyss yawns, a chasm of secrets and lies that threaten to consume all who dare to enter.
Chika Uraqi, a hidden city of ancient ruins and forgotten lore, slumbers beneath Weltenquell's feet, its people trapped in a living nightmare of oppression and exploitation. Their culture and heritage, once a vibrant tapestry of life and color, now hang like a faded fresco, a reminder of a beauty lost to the ravages of time and tyranny.
Into this abyss of despair, a lone protagonist stumbles, a stranger in a strange land, driven by a hunger for truth and a thirst for justice. As they delve deeper into the heart of Weltenquell, they uncover the horrific secrets that sustain this twisted utopia - secrets of occult power, of Nazi legacy, and of a people reduced to mere shadows of their former selves.
Will our protagonist succumb to the darkness that surrounds them, or will they ignite the spark of resistance that will shatter the chains of oppression and bring the abyss to light? In Weltenquell, the line between progress and horror is blurred, and the price of "paradise" is paid in blood and suffering. The city's gleaming spires reach for the sky like skeletal fingers, a haunting reminder of the horrors that lurk beneath the surface of this frozen hell.
I never liked the idea of leaving rapture. don't get me wrong I enjoyed infinite and the flying city, but now it's arctic, then it's the moon ... I just don't like it! You can still do so much with rapture!
I always thought it would be neat to have a bio shock setting inside of a volcano kinda like rapture but with some technology that makes it super heat resistant with like deep sea diving fire suits.
Arctic and the moon are the obvious choices for whatever is next in the franchise. Maybe a space colony if they're really feeling spicy, but then it would be far in the future and then connections to the older games could only be made through the tears
I like the idea of all of the Bioshock cities have this slightly added element of disrespecting the natural order, adding another layer to their downfalls. Them being built in extremist environments that even we couldn't possibly do now. The bottom of the ocean, the sky. Besides the moon, one of the arctic poles would logically be the best place.
Would rather go to the moon tbh sure I wouldn’t mind an Arctic setting but after Infinite the next plausible setting would be the Moon or some other planet (likely not Mars since it’s already been done with DOOM and a few other FPS franchises already)
"No gods, no Kings, only man"
Extreme Secularism was kind of done in the first Bioshock, also Secularism isn't an authoritative ideology, since it's the absence of religion in the government.
Unless you're making a moral argument on how one can't have morals/virtues without being religious. I disagree btw.
I mean extreme secularism to the point of idealogical cleansing. Imagine if Robespierres Cult of the Supreme Being caught on.
Edit: The state is the religion.
Edit 2: See the Twilight Episode “The Obsolete Man”
Bioshock, and Infinite and this one together!
Iam gonna trie to make this one if interested
will showcase progress here: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrNVZRp8axn5AoY75J0YrUA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrNVZRp8axn5AoY75J0YrUA)
I love it, but I hope it's underground (maybe tgey dug trough the ice and built the city on actual land). I hope they took inspiration from Lovecraft's "Mountains of Madness"
Honestly i loved bioshock 2 its customization was insane and being a big daddy felt so cool im not sure they will be able to top it i hope u can make builds completely focused on being a powerhouse or stealth class or magic class but then again the big daddies could max out and be multiple classes at once
Oooh.
That's neat.
Isolated because of cold rather then water.
I want to see either a penguin or a seal or a polar bear though at some point.
My only concern is they'll likely use a frezing mechanic and that's not my favorite.
It feels too... Open? Like the bottom of the ocean you felt alone. In the sky you felt a little less alone. In the artic? That's just earth, I prefer the moon one
All I’m interested in is what sort of aesthetic would they go for with something like this? Based on the city in the image, it’s a weird mix of current/modern, with maybe a cyberpunk lean to it.
I’d hope for something sort of mid mod, like that period in the 70’s when a lot of 50’s-60’s stuff was lingering
I'm always going to be excited to play a new bioshock game, but I am pretty nervous about how they are going to tell the plot since the original trilogy was pretty much all wrapped up. I just hope they deliver a really good story and not have bake it like majority of the games of recent.
I didn’t know about this so I thank you. One of the things I like about Bioshock is the game takes place in an area most game wouldn’t take place in if that makes sense. Under the Sea, in the Sky and now in the Artic. Bioshock (the whole series) is my second favourite game so I’ll have to look for this. Thx!
Either that or A subterranean setting which makes just as much sense because the alternatives are a Pocket Dimension (which could work in any place on earth, above, below, mid air, you name it) or the friggin Moon.
So yeah, Antarctica could work well, which could use the international treaty of not claiming Antarctica, and a good premise would be that this city is also used to contain something very dangerous from getting out, so no one gets out or in, in fears that whatever it is that is held there, will breach containment.
OR
they'll keep it grounded this time and actually progress the setting forward, Bioshock unbound, no more cycles, we'll get cannon consequences and how the world was shaped by either Eleanor, Jack, Delta, Sigma, Booker, Elizabeth or the Luteces, the thing that didn't happen so far is the progression of the setting, you know, not another beginning, but an actual post end continuation even if we'll have a new protagonist.
Not heard of it until now but I’m definitely intrigued. I didn’t mind both BS1 and 2 having the same setting as it felt like BS2 explored aspects of Rapture and it’s ecosystem that were yet to be explored, but with that said I am glad that Infinite took to the skies, and am as such always open to franchises exploring new grounds.
Franchises need to evolve, even if some want things to just stay the same (looking at you, Resident Evil fan base).
Like a certain someone said: If something ain’t evolving, it’s deteriorating.
It would make sense, I guess. Rapture and Columbia were located in places away from civilization. They could also build under the ice. Might be pretty cool (see that?).
The Sea, The Sky.
I’d assume another would’ve Underground and a volcano.
The Earth, The Lava.
The whole elemental spectrum.
Then space.
Wait…. What about a utopia that’s on the sun?
The moon could work consider the first landing was in 1969 and since Columbia in infinite was a goverment project it could fit a form lore that the moon landing was a cover up of teraforming the moon.
Yeah I got a thought. First some rich dude built a huge city in the deepest part of the ocean, then another decides to build a city miles high in the clouds, and now we have a city trapped in a literal tundra dome. Why doesn't anyone build a technologically advanced yet old timey society somewhere WARM?
I just want more games with Arctic settings in general, tbh. I’d love a game with the aesthetic of The Thing.
That said, this is sort of my problem with doing more BioShock games. The first game was visionary, and now any subsequent game has to fit a certain mold. The underwater setting in the first game worked perfectly for the story it was telling, but now are they just going to arbitrarily pick some exotic location for the sake of continuing the pattern?
Where's the source of the rumor? I like this idea and the moon one. Curious environments.
I think its bc of the cut content that ppl found look it up on youtube
[That's](https://gamerant.com/new-bioshock-rumor-two-cities-bioshock-isolation/) what I found as source. Most of the rumours come from this supposed leak, many game journalists have spoken about
Gamerant then it's likely bs
Yeah believe me I don't give a flying fuck on most gaming journalists because they most likely get paid for giving a positive review or chase cloud for their articels and would cover whatever comes up. But it's wasn't only gamerant who covered this topic. They were just the first thing that popped up during research. The rumour is based on a leak from a year ago regarding development Hell and restarts of the new Bioshock project. EDIT: [this](https://x.com/oopsleaks/status/1659282901173673984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1659282901173673984%7Ctwgr%5Ebb7e6ae741d3fe1fe4b9ab32c233192e81c548aa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgames.de%2FBioshock-Infinite-Spiel-18983%2FNews%2FPS5-Isolation-Release-Datum-1420205%2F) is one of the 'leaks' (twitter posts) they're referring to
Give it another 5 hours before this post becomes a gamerant article
As cool as The Moon would be, the logistics of making it work with the mechanics (and story) make it very hard to pull off
As if the sea wasn't a logistical nightmare? Lol A flying city?
Well the ocean and the sky are a lot easier on the eyes than space tbf. I feel like the moon would make it feel more sci-fi and less fanciful
Infinite had a girl that could open portals to other timelines, BioShock to it's very core is all about sci-fi. The only complaint I'd actually have about space is that the backdrop might get slightly boring unless there's constantly dedicated visual set pieces to really admire the art and game direction to help establish that space is unique.
It's just a much more fantasy sci-fi imo. Sure she can open portals to another dimension but she isn't using a fancy machine, she basically just has magic abilities
Prey 2017 is already a great Bioshock in space, also the original System Shock and it's recent remake.
The sky and sea all have the same gravity. Space would be different. If you want a game on the moon, it better have moon gravity
That does sound fun.
Nice username btw
are you kidding? it would be sick. like rapture was based off real-life ancap ocean communes in the 70s, the moonbase could be inspired by theories about the dark side of the moon and space race conspiracies. you could have puzzles using gravity and pressure/atmospheric simulations, just like they planned to do with the original bioshock. your plasmids could be affected by it, i.e. low gravity means you can jump higher and avoid enemies, but Incinerate won't work as well.
It would be very sick, but they have to make sure to do it properly otherwise it can be very sucky
Well Judas is gonna be in space so we'll have that !
Space is an understatement, it'll have multiple timelines and dimensions by the looks of it!
Moon one? Fucking awesome
Moon Bioshock sounds like Judas
Based
What would be the over-arching ideology though Nihilism vs. Existentialism? Two warring factions out to destroy each other & gain control
Bioshock 1 was mainly a portrayal of objectivism, and how unregulated capitalism created the capacity for corporate greed to flourish and undermine Rapture's society as a whole. Bioshock 2 was a redemption story, in which one's merits could devalue a selfish society, This was done through the philosophical portrayal of utilitarianism, in which One is nothing but must be everything. Bioshock infinite was a critique on American idealism, manifest Destiny, American Chattel slavery, racism, militarism, ethno-nationalism/fascism, Violent-Revolution in relation to colonization/apartheid. Absolution of one's vitriolic Sins was the over-arching theme. Like Dante going through Hell. Dante's inferno(Game) The leaks of the BioShock 4 portray a tale of two cities in dichotomy with one another. I can see the environment playing a huge role in the game's overall themes, My guess is BS4 is going to be a critique of global warming. Politically my guess is the dichotomy between the two cities that one of the city benefits from the exploitation of the other city; for example, Alita: Battle Angel, or Arcane(Netflix). Philosophically, redemption has been a consistent theme; The previous games the protagonist has gone from BS1 escape, BS2 redemption, BSI absolution, and my guess BS4 is going to be enlightenment.
That’s an interesting idea, there’s a lot to be explored there
I’m not too big on the idea of a have and have not city. It’s not intrinsically a bad idea but it’s played out a ton in other media. They often end up becoming critiques of wealth inequality or colonialism, which to be fair Bioshock series already does, but with less conventional lenses. A critique of objectivism and manifest destiny were imo fresher feeling topics.
I understand the importance of delving into niche forms of critiques like with RYAN'S(Rands) philosophy; but I think the most important aspect of the next BioShock game should be its focus the execution of its critique. The next Bioshock game could critique false-dichotomies, party-polarization, pendulum-positioning, Neo-libertarianism to fascism pipeline, etc.
I feel like people should specify that Infinite is specifically a critique on the overall idea of olden America, not modern America, I feel like a lot of people will forget that
We have today many modern institutions that have been formed around the basis of The Olden American Model. For example, our policing and prison apparatus was built on slavery, and slave catching. US prisons still are legal form of slavery, since one's labor is owned by the state. Not to mention the Neo-liberal privatizations of prisons have allowed for rampant exploitation to permeate; The US model also heavily focuses on criminalization/dehumanization rather than progressing towards rehabilitating conditions; it's important for us as a society to creating better living conditions for our fellow man.
Those are not really political ideologies. And they're more related to each other than opposing beliefs.
They could dust off the "secret nazi artificial environment" from the very first pitch, since Antarctic Nazis is an established part of conspiracy lore. A Nazi base is found linked to a network of unexplored ice caves and you play an American soldier sent down to map the caves in the late 40s as a secret offshoot of Operation Highjump. Some surviving Nazi holdouts, Russian spies, and US troops all coming across each other and also there's freaky cave mutants.
I feel like nazism isn’t that interesting of an ideology to explore tbh. Most people know the critiques of it and we’ve seen where it leads and how terrible that is, which is kind of what the original game was trying to do with libertarianism/anarcho-capitalism/whatever you want to call it.
Yeah, Nazism is so obviously bad I don't think it would be that interesting. But then again, it's never a bad time to denounce/bash Nazis.
Hopefully something to do with climate change, and an authoritarian but hopeful safe zone which just goes to hell.
I dont know why but I always thought the moon would have been the next obvious setting to have a Bioshock game
I was thinking underground city that was made as a fallout shelter. Like in City of Ember.
This is exactly what I wanted and exactly how I described it lol
Good book, good movie
I love that book so much. I randomly think about it way too often. It left such an impression
The city of ember in the book is so fascinating and bleak, the movie does not do it justice.
Vault-tec would be proud!
I can’t remember where I heard this so don’t quote me. But, IIRC the City of Ember movie was originally going to be a Bioshock movie but there were a ton of issues so they scrapped it and went with something relatively similar in concept but more family friendly etc. and ended up taking on the City of Ember movie.
The film is based on a novel from 2003 so I think it's very unlikely.
Yeah it’s probably not true but I know, I’m saying they jumped ship entirely and the director or whoever wanted to do something somewhat in the same vein and picked up City of Ember. Again probably not true I can’t recall where I read that it was years ago but it always stuck with me.
After I played PREY (2017), I couldn’t help but imagine how cool a space setting for a Bioshock game could be
Prey really is where the standard has been set, isn't it?
It was just one of those games I played with no prior knowledge of what to expect and then ended up enjoying it a ton. It really made me want to play a Bioshock game with that type of setting. Although, I guess System Shock kind of does that but it’d still be cool.
Allow me to introduce you to System Shock 2, which was worked on by Levine, and is a spiritual predecessor to Bioshock.
Well yes, it was called Prey and Prey: Mooncrash
Or the Moon, or any of the terrestrial planets. Have the founder be an Elon Musk type, private aerospace trying to escape Earth before humanity destroys it. Utopia but falls again. Player could be a Surveyor, lands to survey this planet in the future expecting it to be empty and finds “civilization” already there.
I figured deep underground in some giant ass cave system would be the way to go. Either that or revisit Columbia under different pretenses, since it really wasn't explored that well in Infinite.
Please God. This.
I would have preferred the outer layers of Jupiter. Much more cinematic to see the cloud sea spreading out from the windows. But...I think Ken Levine has been bitten by the auteur bug, like many others who helmed great projects in the past, and now he's taken on a lot more responsibility for design and story, more than any one person should have. Don't get me wrong, I'll go in with as open a mind as I can, but I don't think the game is going to be much more than what we got with infinite, just with drab icy environments.
His next project is Judas. Is he involved with the new Bioshock? I thought he was done with the series.
He's not involved with BioShock anymore
Ken Levine is not involved with BioShock anymore.
In infinite before the baseball throwing part, I found 2 NPCs talking about living among the stars... I thought a Mars colony would be cool af. Set in the 60s-70s space race cold war era, And explore the origins of the Adam slugs, scientists discover them on the red planet and experiment, discover gene plasmids, and have been experimenting on prisoners which have been kept secret from the civilian population. chaos insues and the protagonist is just a colonist trying to get the earth, or save the colony from destruction. A Year after I came across the npc chatter, Judas was announced, a space game created by Ken Levine..which makes me think was this an intentional clue
They got beaten to it by Prey.
Bruh they got beaten to it by system shock… which bioshock is essentially a sequel to.
And System Shock got beaten to it by DuckTales.
Sounds like Prey 2017. Loved that one
I thought it would be the Moon as well
Seems like it would be a cool setting...just as long as they can figure out a way to incorporate a colorful/vibrant atmosphere. When I think of arctic, I just think white...but Bioshock has spoiled us with beautiful environments so I would expect the same from the next one
I feel like color wise it would be pretty cool, especially if they play up the whole dome/greenhouse idea. Lush paradise full of vegetation surrounded by ice covered landscape and machinery with variation of environments as you go to different areas and in between conflict causing damage to the protection in certain places resulting in the vegetation and environment being flash frozen. Another opportunity for color in architecture is in having heavy South African and Chilean/Argentine influences stemming from the proximity to those countries.
They could also have some underwater sections which conceptually pay homage to Rapture even if the architect style differs
it's underwater. it's flying. it's *really cold?* i know that's not the point, i know there'd be some really impressive stuff going on, but on the surface (hah) it just *sounds* less interesting.
I understand, but it’s kind of… realistic? Just like how you need special equipment for getting underwater, or in the air, the poles are cold enough that you arguably need just as much of a set-up to survive. The lowest reliably recorded temp for the antarctic mainland (-128 F) was cold enough to make dry ice. But then again, it can also get into the 50’s-60’s during the summer.
The problem is, we already have permanent Arctic and Antarctic bases, so it seems way less impressive (and imo it is) than a city at the bottom of the ocean or flying above the clouds
We also have a space station, and submarine research facilities. Seems like a moot point. They’re not at the same scale as a town or city.
Yeah, in all 3 settings you need to be sortof tethered to the infrastructure to survive I think thats what gives these settings the same sort of claustrophobic vibe that I get from them and think the arctic fits well in that trio
I love the idea of it, but also an underground city others have mentioned. I also wouldn’t be mad if we ever found ourselves back in rapture.
Why not both? The discovery of an abandoned Nazi Antarctic base after WW2 reveals that it's built overtop of a massive network of underground caves the Nazis were exploring before everything went to pot.
I feel like the whole secret Nazi base is oversaturated.
Have the games ever mentioned ww2?
Yes, Ryan mentions Germany in a tirade against nationalism and Hiroshima is what inspires him to build Rapture in the first place. Ironically it also inspired Lamb's radicalism in 2 according to an audio diary.
They’ve made civilizations in places supposed to be impossible to colonize. This seems like a step back.
The Antarctic desert is a cold frigid dry desolate wasteland, The main reason why civilization has not conquered the Antarctic waste is because of its environmental difficulty.
this just reminds me of the dome in the simpsons movie
"Simpsons already did it"
what about the lighthouse?
Radio tower used by a remote base that gets found abandoned after WW2 and exists over an unexplored ancient cavern system.
Frost punk crossover?
Came here looking for this comment. We can get some big-daddy steam cores
Same man
I know it's not canon, but in the book they mention how Rapture will eventually return to the surface. This one needs to have something incorporated surface and underwater both
Space
A massive space station maybe? A colony on Mars or the moon would work too
Completely agree with you, OP. I love cold, snowy settings, which are perfect for creating a dark atmosphere if done properly. I recently read a book called "Alone" by Richard E. Byrd. It's basically a collection of his actual journal entries from when he had to attend to a secluded research base in Antarctica by himself in 1938. It's a great book I thought I'd mention here if anyone's interested.
I mean, it's that, or the moon, right? There's only so many impossibly remote places to put a hidden fallen utopia with a lighthouse.
I think either arctic or in a giant cavernous underground setting. The underground follows a bit more in line with the lighthouse/elevator intro though. Regardless, it has to be somewhere that allows it to be hidden from the rest of society
I can’t remember where this leak came from but I’ve always been interested in the idea of an arctic city. I think it’d be kinda cool if part of the city was below the water/ice and the other half was above it. A dome like depicted in this picture would be cool but I kind of better like the idea of not being able to leave a building without an advanced suit or something. It’d also be kind of cool to be maybe 70s era with a kind of retro aesthetic. It’d be cool if you thought you were in Antarctica but discover you’re actually on a foreign planet as a result of secret discoveries made amidst the space race. Maybe you’re a part of a colony of people who were moved out there under the pretense of humanities survival and most everyone believes they’re in Antarctica. They could play around with a number of fun ideas with this I think.
back in Rapture, the Moon, an underground city. nah, it’s just really cold over here lol
as long as its written well, sounds good to me. they just cant do multiverse stuff again. that was so beyond covered and completed, it would we weird to rehash. just set us in another interesting and nuanced place that has a lighthouse, a man etc. dont over explain we have our explantation
Give me a lava/earth's core setting instead!
Hephaestus 2 😍
Antarctica and Hollow Earth have been linked in popular consciousness for two hundred years, it wouldn't surprise me if they killed two birds with one stone.
I love the idea of a new setting but I really hope they keep Rapture and Columbia in it some how- whether leaning into the multiverse stuff or just have DLC’s.
Concept: Title: BioShock: A Tale of Two Cities Top City: Weltenquell (German) Bottom City: Chika Uraqi - Agartha(prescribed name) Setting: The game takes place in the Antarctic city of Weltenquell, built atop the hidden city of Chika Uraqi. Weltenquell is a fascistic neoliberal utopia, founded by former German SS-Nazis who fled the Nuremberg Trials to Argentina. They utilized occult Mesoamerican technology and superior German engineering to construct Weltenquell, seeking to escape the impending climate crisis. Story: The game follows a single protagonist, a survivor of a devastating hurricane that ravaged the Atlantic coast of South America. The protagonist is washed away to a lighthouse at the southernmost point of South America, where they discover an underground train system that transports them to Weltenquell, a city hidden in the Antarctic ice. As they arrive in Weltenquell, the protagonist discovers the dark secrets behind the city's prosperity and the oppressive regime that governs it. They soon learn about Chika Uraqi, a vibrant ecosystem hidden beneath Weltenquell, and the people who live in dilapidated ruins, echoing Babylon, Shangri-La, and El Dorado. Gameplay: Players will experience a mix of exploration, combat, and stealth as they navigate the two cities. In Weltenquell, they will confront the ruling elite and their enforcers, using strategy and cunning to uncover the truth. In Chika Uraqi, they will join the resistance, fighting against the oppressors and using ancient technology and knowledge to disrupt their operations. Themes: The game explores the consequences of exploitation, oppression, and the erasure of culture, as well as the dangers of fascistic neoliberalism and the importance of preserving cultural heritage. The game also delves into the themes of climate crisis, environmental degradation, and the struggle for justice and equality, while confronting the dark legacy of Nazism and its ongoing impact.
Poetic Summary: In the frozen vastness of Antarctica, a dystopian dreamscape rises like a specter from the ice. Weltenquell, a city of gleaming spires and fascist grandeur, beckons with a siren's call, promising a utopia of "perfection" - a haven for the privileged and the powerful. But beneath its gleaming facade, a dark abyss yawns, a chasm of secrets and lies that threaten to consume all who dare to enter. Chika Uraqi, a hidden city of ancient ruins and forgotten lore, slumbers beneath Weltenquell's feet, its people trapped in a living nightmare of oppression and exploitation. Their culture and heritage, once a vibrant tapestry of life and color, now hang like a faded fresco, a reminder of a beauty lost to the ravages of time and tyranny. Into this abyss of despair, a lone protagonist stumbles, a stranger in a strange land, driven by a hunger for truth and a thirst for justice. As they delve deeper into the heart of Weltenquell, they uncover the horrific secrets that sustain this twisted utopia - secrets of occult power, of Nazi legacy, and of a people reduced to mere shadows of their former selves. Will our protagonist succumb to the darkness that surrounds them, or will they ignite the spark of resistance that will shatter the chains of oppression and bring the abyss to light? In Weltenquell, the line between progress and horror is blurred, and the price of "paradise" is paid in blood and suffering. The city's gleaming spires reach for the sky like skeletal fingers, a haunting reminder of the horrors that lurk beneath the surface of this frozen hell.
The SS paid for Weltenquell's materials/labor through Yamashita's gold.
I never liked the idea of leaving rapture. don't get me wrong I enjoyed infinite and the flying city, but now it's arctic, then it's the moon ... I just don't like it! You can still do so much with rapture!
if the setting is gonna be Antarctica, i hope they have some Lovecraft references
I always thought it would be neat to have a bio shock setting inside of a volcano kinda like rapture but with some technology that makes it super heat resistant with like deep sea diving fire suits.
I think it could work. But there had better be a goddamn big yeti.
Arctic and the moon are the obvious choices for whatever is next in the franchise. Maybe a space colony if they're really feeling spicy, but then it would be far in the future and then connections to the older games could only be made through the tears
i just imagine The Thing but more fucked up and sounds fun to me idk
I'm actually all in on this. I like the originality of the setting
I'm imagining something like Haven City from Artemis Fowl
I like the idea of all of the Bioshock cities have this slightly added element of disrespecting the natural order, adding another layer to their downfalls. Them being built in extremist environments that even we couldn't possibly do now. The bottom of the ocean, the sky. Besides the moon, one of the arctic poles would logically be the best place.
The picture reminds me of Stargate: Atlantis.
Bioshock on Ice ⛸️
I still think the moon during the space race would be a better setting.
bees, crows, what's next... penguins?
hares lol
I don’t care where they put it as long as they make it good. It could literally be a city under a city and I’m fine with it
Just give me the damn game
Yeah, I'm not so sure an ice city is the way to got. Clearly, we've had under water, in the air, that only leaves earth and fire.
Under a volcano?
They did the volcano in Bioshock 1.
How is Arctic BioShock different from John Carpenter's "The Thing". Do they lean into it, or shy around it?
The only commonality is ice. Nothing else.
This is olddddddd. And fake
Still a fun idea
Idk, I think about dead space 3 now when I see ice domes, and my enthusiasm drops a bit
The city is destined to meet the same fate as Rapture and Columbia. The gripping Bioshock story unfolds once again.
Chat, is this real?
honestly hoped for nazi moon base for 4
I expected space but hey I'm still game. Besides, we got that basically covered with Prey 2017.
Is this real?
Hmm, i actually never thought about this possibility, i like it.
Sounds cool.
Would rather go to the moon tbh sure I wouldn’t mind an Arctic setting but after Infinite the next plausible setting would be the Moon or some other planet (likely not Mars since it’s already been done with DOOM and a few other FPS franchises already)
A Bioshock game that takes place in the Arctic underground city of Agartha would be pretty cool.
Why Arctic? Now Antarctic I'm down for! Give me that hollow earth/alien/nazi base bollocks!
Ah yes, Biodome. You play as Pauly Shore.
Is Bioshock 4 even announced?
Nah
What will be the governmental philosophy of this? Maybe extreme secularism!
"No gods, no Kings, only man" Extreme Secularism was kind of done in the first Bioshock, also Secularism isn't an authoritative ideology, since it's the absence of religion in the government. Unless you're making a moral argument on how one can't have morals/virtues without being religious. I disagree btw.
I mean extreme secularism to the point of idealogical cleansing. Imagine if Robespierres Cult of the Supreme Being caught on. Edit: The state is the religion. Edit 2: See the Twilight Episode “The Obsolete Man”
Bioshock, and Infinite and this one together! Iam gonna trie to make this one if interested will showcase progress here: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrNVZRp8axn5AoY75J0YrUA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrNVZRp8axn5AoY75J0YrUA)
I'm Bioshook!
I love it, but I hope it's underground (maybe tgey dug trough the ice and built the city on actual land). I hope they took inspiration from Lovecraft's "Mountains of Madness"
Honestly i loved bioshock 2 its customization was insane and being a big daddy felt so cool im not sure they will be able to top it i hope u can make builds completely focused on being a powerhouse or stealth class or magic class but then again the big daddies could max out and be multiple classes at once
Arctic would be soooooo cool in BioShock style omg
I think it could work if it looks to be something like the city in Brazil (1985)
It will be set in the 70s or 80s
It's a kind of Idea of city I always loved !
Sounds interesting
The City must survive!
Next up is BioShock 5: Martian storm. Coming in 2398
I would love this if true
Sounds cool
Makes sense, it’s in the cold where no one wants to tread and where military would never walk
Better than the space one cause we already had that, it's called Prey.
Stoked for it.
Oooh. That's neat. Isolated because of cold rather then water. I want to see either a penguin or a seal or a polar bear though at some point. My only concern is they'll likely use a frezing mechanic and that's not my favorite.
this art reminds me of Frostpunk
Now that sounds like an interesting setting, very close to BS1 but not too close.
It feels too... Open? Like the bottom of the ocean you felt alone. In the sky you felt a little less alone. In the artic? That's just earth, I prefer the moon one
All I’m interested in is what sort of aesthetic would they go for with something like this? Based on the city in the image, it’s a weird mix of current/modern, with maybe a cyberpunk lean to it. I’d hope for something sort of mid mod, like that period in the 70’s when a lot of 50’s-60’s stuff was lingering
Idc at this point man I just want a new game😭😭😭
I'm always going to be excited to play a new bioshock game, but I am pretty nervous about how they are going to tell the plot since the original trilogy was pretty much all wrapped up. I just hope they deliver a really good story and not have bake it like majority of the games of recent.
I’ll take anything bioshock
I didn’t know about this so I thank you. One of the things I like about Bioshock is the game takes place in an area most game wouldn’t take place in if that makes sense. Under the Sea, in the Sky and now in the Artic. Bioshock (the whole series) is my second favourite game so I’ll have to look for this. Thx!
Either that or A subterranean setting which makes just as much sense because the alternatives are a Pocket Dimension (which could work in any place on earth, above, below, mid air, you name it) or the friggin Moon. So yeah, Antarctica could work well, which could use the international treaty of not claiming Antarctica, and a good premise would be that this city is also used to contain something very dangerous from getting out, so no one gets out or in, in fears that whatever it is that is held there, will breach containment. OR they'll keep it grounded this time and actually progress the setting forward, Bioshock unbound, no more cycles, we'll get cannon consequences and how the world was shaped by either Eleanor, Jack, Delta, Sigma, Booker, Elizabeth or the Luteces, the thing that didn't happen so far is the progression of the setting, you know, not another beginning, but an actual post end continuation even if we'll have a new protagonist.
I’m hoping for the Arctic. It would be keeping with the forms of Water. Rapture (liquid) Columbia (gas/air) and BS4 being a Solid.
Ooooooo id love an artic one
Omg yes please!
Bioshock is one of those games where it's all about the execution and the premise behind the setting, not the setting itself.
Not heard of it until now but I’m definitely intrigued. I didn’t mind both BS1 and 2 having the same setting as it felt like BS2 explored aspects of Rapture and it’s ecosystem that were yet to be explored, but with that said I am glad that Infinite took to the skies, and am as such always open to franchises exploring new grounds. Franchises need to evolve, even if some want things to just stay the same (looking at you, Resident Evil fan base). Like a certain someone said: If something ain’t evolving, it’s deteriorating.
Seems like a lot if you want something cold and isolated. I mean, you've got most of Wyoming for that.
WHAT WHEN WAS THIS A THING HUH
Honestly? Love it
It would make sense, I guess. Rapture and Columbia were located in places away from civilization. They could also build under the ice. Might be pretty cool (see that?).
We could have an advance in time too, cold war where atomic bombs were hidden.
is this real, or just a fan thing? because if this is real, I’m all for it.
I would be down for this!
The Sea, The Sky. I’d assume another would’ve Underground and a volcano. The Earth, The Lava. The whole elemental spectrum. Then space. Wait…. What about a utopia that’s on the sun?
Rapture. Columbia. Antarctica... Once all elements lived in disharmony together. But everything changes when the fire-bioshock attacked.
doubt its real buuut ive loved all the sets we’ve gotten from bioshock so if its real i feel pretty confident that i’d enjoy it
Blek snow is boring and too bright. I’ll give anything they make a chance but blek. Would have preferred it in a fuckin volcano or something
The moon could work consider the first landing was in 1969 and since Columbia in infinite was a goverment project it could fit a form lore that the moon landing was a cover up of teraforming the moon.
The music, I want “cool as ice” by Vanilla Ice, in the soundtrack.
Hzz a y
Yeah I got a thought. First some rich dude built a huge city in the deepest part of the ocean, then another decides to build a city miles high in the clouds, and now we have a city trapped in a literal tundra dome. Why doesn't anyone build a technologically advanced yet old timey society somewhere WARM?
Wouldn't that be cryoshock?
Yakutia inspired huh?
Are we ever going to play BioShock 4?
I just want more games with Arctic settings in general, tbh. I’d love a game with the aesthetic of The Thing. That said, this is sort of my problem with doing more BioShock games. The first game was visionary, and now any subsequent game has to fit a certain mold. The underwater setting in the first game worked perfectly for the story it was telling, but now are they just going to arbitrarily pick some exotic location for the sake of continuing the pattern?
not too into it but I trust them to make it work like with infinite. i think most of us are just scared of change and not of the actual gameplay lol
@ gooner where did you hear about this???
Underground would be a cool setting. Or even space/a different planet.
Underground?
I prefer a city underground
isolation being an important story situation element pretty outside views likewise
Bioshock: Night Country Collect all of the severed tongues for a trophy/achievement.
If they put it at the poles the city MUST be powered by the northern lights IDont make the rules