Take-Two lays off staff at studio behind ‘BioShock’ game

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. laid off about a third of the staff at Cloud Chamber, the studio behind the next “BioShock” game, according to people familiar with the move.

- BY JASON SCHREIER

GAMERS COMPETE inside the exhibit hall during TwitchCon at the San Diego Convention Center in 2019.

Cloud Chamber, which has offices in Novato, Calif., and Montreal, cut more than 80 jobs Tuesday as part of a reorganization, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. The studio had about 250 employees before the cuts.

The game will also be delayed from a previously planned release in late 2026 or early 2027, the people said. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Cloud Chamber had pushed out its studio head and creative director after development hiccups on the next game in the “BioShock” series, which has sold more than 43 million copies.

2K Games, the Take-Two label that publishes “BioShock,” confirmed it was making the job cuts, although it didn’t specify a number. When asked for comment, a spokesperson shared an email sent to staff by 2K President David Ismailer.

“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 extension adds even more years to what has already become one of the longest-running productions in the video-game industry. This new “BioShock” has been in development for more than a decade across multiple studios and cycled through several leadership teams, the people said.