2K has confirmed it will announce “the next iteration in one of [its] biggest and most beloved franchises” at Summer Game Fest 2024, with a major reveal set for the show. At this stage, that’s all the publisher has revealed, but that hasn’t stopped wild speculation from breaking out over the internet.
The most likely candidate for a reveal is a new BioShock game, given “BioShock 4” was first announced as being in production way back in 2019. That said, there’s also plenty of other prospects. We could see Borderlands 4 or Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2 pop up, given they’re both 2K-published titles, and the franchise remains beloved. We could also see a new Mafia game, although it’s fair to say this franchise has a sparser fanbase than BioShock and Borderlands.
Whatever the case, 2K’s surprise announcement for an announcement has sparked plenty of excitement.
Should a new BioShock appear, there would certainly be a major fuss. The series has been dormant since BioShock Infinite‘s release in 2013, and as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Despite being away for some time, BioShock remains one of the biggest franchises in gaming, with a passionate audience base ready to be activated by a sleeper agent phrase or two.
Read: Ken Levine’s Judas sounds a lot like a BioShock sequel
The same can be said for the Borderlands fanbase. While they’ve been eating much better lately, with satisfying releases for the mainline series and spin-offs, a new game in this series would certainly be appreciated. Borderlands 3 and New Tales from the Borderlands left plenty of loose threads dangling, and there’s ample opportunity to explore more of Pandora in a new tale.
There’s also a Borderlands film set to release later in 2024, and a new game could easily tie into this release, or at least hype up the excitement around the franchise again.
As for the least likely candidate – Mafia – we know Hangar 13 is working on a new game in the series, and while it’s still early days, a glimpse at what’s in the works wouldn’t go amiss.
Whatever appears, there’s likely a certain portion of the 2K fanbase that will be stoked to hear more from their favourite game franchise. Stay tuned for updates on what this incoming announcement is, and what to expect from 2K’s latest project.
