BioShock Studio Cloud Chamber Undergoes Layoffs, Appoints Rod Fergusson New BioShock Head

2K Games is reducing staff at BioShock studio Cloud Chamber as it works to restructure its upcoming BioShock title.

The company has also appointed Rod Fergusson—former head of Gears of War and lead of the Diablo franchise—as the new head of BioShock and Cloud Chamber at 2K. Fergusson left Blizzard earlier this month, with no public explanation for his departure or his successor.

This information comes from an email sent by 2K president David Ismail to employees and later shared with IGN. The email states:

Development on the next BioShock game has been ongoing for several years. While we’re enthusiastic about the core gameplay foundations, we’ve decided alongside studio leadership to rework key elements essential to the BioShock experience. As part of this effort, we’re adjusting the team size to concentrate resources and extend the development timeline.

Affected employees are being notified today. 2K has not disclosed the number of people impacted.

“I recognize today brings a mix of emotions,” the email concludes. “We’re thrilled to welcome Rod to the team, and deeply appreciate everyone at Cloud Chamber for getting us to this point. These changes reflect 2K’s strong belief in BioShock as one of gaming’s most cherished franchises—and our dedication to delivering the best BioShock game ever made.”

BioShock 4 was first reported in 2018, with little news since. It’s been in development at Cloud Chamber since then, and former BioShock lead Ken Levine is not involved. No gameplay has been shown, and details remain scarce beyond its new setting and open-world structure. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported the game is undergoing a major development overhaul after internal feedback raised concerns about its narrative. When we asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about this a week later, he confirmed BioShock 4 “is going to come out,” but offered no timeline or specifics on what still needs to be addressed.