2K has announced the founding of a brand new studio that is actively working on a new BioShock game; Cloud Chamber. The new studio will be operating with two teams at two different locations: one in 2K’s San Francisco Bay Area HQ in Novato, California, and another in Montréal, Québec, which marks the first-ever Canadian office for a 2K studio.

In the official press release, 2K President David Ismailer said:

“As we continue growing our product portfolio, we remain inspired by opportunities to invest further in our valuable IP, great people and their collective, long-term potential.

BioShock is one of the most beloved, critically praised and highest-rated franchises of the last console generation.

We can’t wait to see where its powerful narrative and iconic, first-person shooter gameplay head in the future with our new studio team at Cloud Chamber leading the charge.”

Kelly Gilmore, a games industry veteran with 22 years worth of experience under her belt, will serve as Cloud Chamber’s Global Studio Head. She will also be the first woman in history to lead a 2K development studio. Meanwhile, Ken Schachter will act as Cloud Chamber’s Studio Manager at the Montréal branch. He will also be an ambassador for both the new studio and 2K in establishing a significant presence in Montréal, Canada.

Cloud Chamber officially joins 2K’s extensive family of wholly-owned game development studios, including the likes of XCOM dev Firaxis Games, Mafia 3 dev Hangar 13, and more.

Cloud Chamber official logo.

This official announcement by 2K corroborates the previously-unconfirmed rumours and reports of a BioShock sequel being in development, which we reported on just last month. The most recent game in the franchise was 2013’s BioShock Infinite, which received a mixed reception due to its unfocused multiple-ending narratives and less-than-satisfying gunplay compared to its predecessors.

Perhaps Cloud Chamber’s new BioShock game will make a glorious return to the franchise’s immersive sim roots and tighter gameplay mechanics, especially with the wealth of experience that Gilmore has from her time working on franchises like Sid Meier’s Civilization and XCOM for the past two decades.

However, it will remain in development “for the next several years”, which means that it will likely only release for next-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett. It’s high time for another good BioShock game.