Cloud Chamber, the developer working on Bioshock 4 alongside publisher 2K, is "reducing the size of the development team" amidst leadership changes.
First reported by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier yesterday via Bluesky, the downsizing is affecting an "unspecified number of staff" at Cloud Chamber. When asked for clarification on the number of employees, a 2K representative told Game Developer that the publisher doesn't have "any additional comment to share at this time."
In an internal memo sent to staff, which the representative shared with Game Developer, 2K Games president David Ismailer told employees about the downsizing. "Work on the next Bioshock game has been underway for several years. While we’re excited about the foundational gameplay elements of the project, we've made the decision with studio leadership to rework certain aspects that are core to a Bioshock game, and in doing so are reducing the size of the development team to focus on this work and give the game more time in development," Ismailer wrote.
The memo continues: "I know this is tough news for everyone. If your role is being affected, you’ll hear from your manager or studio leadership today with details on severance, career services, and support resources. There is no easy way to do this, but we hope to do whatever we can to support you through this. I want to thank each of you for your dedication and hard work."
The news comes mere weeks after a Bloomberg report on August 1, which stated that Bioshock 4 recently failed a publisher review. This reportedly led to leadership changes and a narrative overhaul. At the same time, Bloomberg reported that employees were worried that layoffs could follow.
Former Diablo boss Rod Fergusson is now Cloud Chamber's studio head
In the same internal memo, Ismailer told the team that former Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson has been appointed as Cloud Chamber's new studio head. Fergusson shared the news via X (formerly Twitter), announcing his return to 2K as the head of the Bioshock franchise. Along with overseeing development of the next Bioshock game, he'll also oversee franchise extensions, such as the in-development Netflix movie.
Fergusson also mentioned that he recognizes "the studio restructuring is a difficult time" for the team. "I’m deeply grateful for the work done so far, and I’m committed to building a Bioshock game we’ll be proud of and that our players will love," he wrote.
This isn't the first time Fergusson worked on the Bioshock franchise. He previously joined Irrational Games, the studio that primarily developed Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, in 2012. Back then, he worked as executive vice president of development during the final stretch of development of Bioshock Infinite. He then left 2K in 2014 and joined Black Tusk Studios, later renamed to The Coalition, to aid in the development of the Gears of War series, until he joined Blizzard in 2020 for a five-year tenure, overseeing the Diablo series, in particular Diablo 4.
In a 2022 report by The Washington Post—which detailed mismanagement and script changes contributing to delays—employees also shared information about their experiences with Fergusson after he joined Blizzard. Back then, employees reportedly described Fergusson as holding regular weekly Zoom meetings he dubbed the "Rodcast," where several hundred people would join as he discussed movies he enjoyed or celebrities he had spent time with. According to the report, he would also address the team's problem with attrition and share employee survey results, but staff felt that not much actually came out of these discussions.
“To me, he came off as a bit of a clout chaser about where he came from, like Gears of War,” a former employee told The Washington Post. “People got frustrated because we all thought he was gonna come in and fix the game. And when nothing happened, that’s when you started to see this massive turnover.”
