It would be remiss to forget that a new BioShock sequel is still in the works. Since then, both publisher 2K Games and developer Cloud Chamber (the newly formed studio for the game) have been surprisingly silent about it.

That's not to say we haven't heard anything, however; like Rapture's ceiling, this project must have had several leaks over the years, and there are rumors that it is set in Antarctica in the 1960s. And now the actual screenshots have been released. [The image was published by the gaming website MP1ST and is said to be by a visual effects artist from 2K. According to them, this is from “the demo featured in the 2021 reel” (presumably included in the portfolio). It contains text referring to “Parkside,” previously claimed by several sources to be the game's codename.

It depicts a first-person view looking up at a retro-futuristic tower, with a glowing orb at its top. The UI displays icons suggesting that they are equipped with magnetism and power, and the ultimate time slow There is also a It's hard to read more into it than that, as it's not a detail-packed shot, but it's certainly part of a modernized BioShock.

However, given that the game's build is from 2021 at the latest, these screenshots may not reflect the current state of the project at all. Last week, we learned that Cloud Chamber is “recruiting furiously” for the continued development of this game, which suggests that the direction of the project may have changed completely very recently. Therefore, even if this screenshot is authentic (which we cannot guarantee), it is unlikely to reflect what will actually be available when the game is released.

Still, it is interesting to see some signs from this game. When creator Ken Levine announced that he was leaving the series and disbanding Irrational Games, the fate of the series seemed rather uncertain (to make the “BioShock”-like “Judas” instead). Six years later, an entirely new team had not inspire much confidence, and after another five years of silence, I was beginning to wonder if Cloud Chamber was even still working on the games it was founded on.

If this screen is real, it is at least a sign of activity, and certainly a promising sign for new recruitment. While the cynicism about the idea of a sequel without Levin may be healthy, it's best to keep an open mind about this project; it's worth remembering that Cloud Chamber has several veterans of the first game on board (and BioShock 2, made without him, was pretty great, too! It's worth remembering that.