An Old BioShock 4 Screenshot is Making the Rounds

It seems the constants within gaming are Half-Life 3, Fallout the next one, Bethesda makes buggy games and Obsidian should take over, and from time to time, where’s the next game in the BioShock series? We’ve heard bits and pieces about the plans set forth by 2K for a number of years now. However, according to MP1st, the publication has some details and even a screenshot of the upcoming BioShock 4, codenamed “Parkside.”

The screenshot hosted on Imgur by the publication doesn’t reveal much unless you like looking at some small debug text on a dark background. That and some UI elements, as well as the name of a weapon and what looks to be a large monument, possibly for the early portion of the upcoming BioShock 4. MP1st notes that the screenshot is old by now, reportedly being part of a 2021 showcase and it is suggested this is only a prototype build to showcase certain elements.

Given that MP1st notes the leaked image comes from an unnamed VFX artist and the image itself has a rather large lighting effect in the center, it may be a test of lighting effects and unseen special effects. That’s more speculation on my part than MP1st, but despite the low quality of the image (feel lucky you are getting anything at all), the scene could be giving some players a “Sea of Doors” vibe or even the lighthouse vibe from early portions of previous games. As I keep trying to reiterate so the hype isn’t overbuilt, no one really knows outside of 2K and Cloud Chamber.

We know a source spoke to Colin Moriarty of Last Stand Media’s Sacred Symbols podcast in 2021, and from that, we have the reported detail that BioShock 4 will be set in the 1960s. Particularly in Antarctica in a fictional city called Borealis. Take those details how you will, but it was also noted by Moriarty that at one point a reveal was supposed to happen at that year’s Video Game Awards, but was pushed back to the 2022 E3 showcase. Now, two years on from that Faux-E3 and a further several months on from the 2021 VGAs, we still haven’t seen hide nor hair of “Parkside” or BioShock 4.

I say all of that because at one point it was reported the title would have been “BioShock: Immortal.” That’s something Moriarty corroborates with a source. Again, much like this screenshot and other details, this is all two-and-a-half-year-old information; certain ideas and details might have been scrapped, modified, remolded, or might still be the exact same. This is the trouble of reporting on a reported leak, it is fueled by speculation, and other rough and sometimes outdated sources, many of which can and will change in the next six months to a year.

Without a release date in sight or even a teaser trailer, it is fruitless trying to be long-winded about this. It is interesting to see the UI direction so far for the reported BioShock 4, seeing how it all lays out on screen, though beyond that there isn’t really much else to say.