The more things change, the more they stay the same.
In 2012, Rod Fergusson joined Irrational Games during the final moments ofBioShock Infinite’s development to get the game back on track and meet its deadlines. This comes after he gained a reputation as someone who could “close,” meaning that he was the guy to help get a game’s development back on track and across the finish line.
It’s a reputation that’s helped him work on some of the most high-profile franchises in gaming history, includingGears of War, BioShock, andDiablo. Now, after leavingBlizzard Entertainmentearlier this week, Fergusson is back to work as the Head of the BioShock Franchise.
Rod Fergusson Joins 2K During A Rough Development For BioShock 4
One of the possible reasons for Fergusson rejoining 2K and the BioShock franchise is the fact that the game’s development cycle has been, in a word, disastrous.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, who recently highlighted how BioShock 4 has been in development for over a decade and failed a recent publisher review, also adds that Cloud Chamber, the developer behind BioShock 4, is “laying off an unspecified number of staff.”
Fergusson’s arrival at Cloud Chamber and 2K comes a week after the publisher confirmed that thegame is still in active development. 2K CEO Strauss Zelnick admitted in an interview withIGNthat while development isn’t going as planned, 2K is still committed to releasing the game. “It’s still going to come out,” he said. “That I can say hand on heart, without question.”
Adding an industry veteran like Fergusson, who’s known for making sure that games do indeed come out, is a step in the right direction for the future of BioShock. What that game looks like, however, remains to be seen at this time.
