It has been well over a decade since the latest BioShock entry was released but since then, a potential fourth part has become something of a distant dream.

Launched in 2007, BioShock follows the story of Jack, who upon discovering the underwater city of Rapture, soon finds himself coming to terms with his new powers after uncovering ADAM, a genetic material which grants unique powers.

After being met with universal acclaim, BioShock was followed by BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite in 2010 and 2013 respectively and a fourth part was confirmed to be in development back in 2019.

However, now almost seven years on from its reveal, fans have received next to no news about BioShock 4 which has some worried that Cloud Chamber will never release the highly-anticipated FPS sequel.

That being said, with Cloud Chamber claiming that development would be ongoing for “several years”, there is still time, especially as no news of a cancellation has been announced.

Not only that but earlier this year, eager fans may have received their first glimpse at an alpha build screenshot for BioShock 4.

Leaking online, this vague screenshot at least gives us some clues about the sequel alongside some information taken from the report.

“The image comes from a 2K Visual Effects Artist, but for the sake of privacy (and we don’t want the person getting fired), we are refraining from naming or linking their online profile.

The image below is from an early demo build of the game featured in a 2021 showcase reel, and you can see the “Parkside” codename in it.

Parkside was first referenced by Bloomberg’s ever-reliable Jason Schreier back in 2019 and was corroborated by Colin Moriarty in 2021, stating, “It takes place in a 1960s Antarctic city called Borealis. [The game’s] codenamed ‘Parkside’”.

The screenshot shows a typical BioShock-esque screencap, with a gun (in this case a Ricochet Shotgun), a health bar and what looks to be our Plasmid options in the lower left.

The player is seemingly looking up at an unknown tower with a glowing orb situated on top. However, without knowing much more, it is hard to tell what or where this is.

Despite this, fan reception was mixed.

“This looks more like Dishonored than BioShock,” one comment over on r/Bioshock read.

Another said: “Urgh. If this is true, that is so f**king generic. The UI does not fit BioShock. The sci-fi thing could fit into any sci-fi game.”

Regardless, if legitimate, this is our first look at BioShock 4 so it is reassuring to know that it is still being developed in the background.

Hopefully we will receive further updates throughout 2025.