BioShock 4 is "going to take the franchise to the next level," which is why publisher Take-Two is "shifting some things around" to make sure it exceeds expectations

BioShock 4 is in the works and has been for over a decade now, leaving fans curious about the uncertain future of the iconic franchise – but according to Take-Two Interactive, the next FPS game is going to impress and outdo its predecessors.

A solid 12 years or so have passed now since BioShock Infinite swept us off our feet in 2013 (and took hundreds of hours of 13-year-old me's time), but BioShock 4 is still nowhere in sight. The new shooter, which arguably stands as one of the most highly anticipated new games underway, is still set to arrive at some point, though – and according to Take-Two Interactive president Karl Slatoff, it'll be big when it does.

Speaking during a recent financial results conference Q&A, he first discusses the structure of Cloud Chamber – the AAA studio heading the new BioShock game's development – starting with Rod Fergusson's role. Fergusson, who recently took over as head of the BioShock franchise and 2K senior vice president, is described as "an incredible industry veteran" by Slatoff: "He's got history with the BioShock franchise, specifically with Infinite."

The Take-Two lead references Fergusson's work on beloved video game gems like Gears of War and Diablo then, going on to admit, "BioShock is a very important franchise for us. It's one of our biggest franchises, and we're very excited about the release of the next BioShock." That's why internal structural changes – like Fergusson joining the team and the over 80 or so reported layoffs that followed – took place. Now, "the game is on a great track…"

As Slatoff explains, "We've made some changes in the organization. We're shifting some things around, but right now, we feel that the game is on a great track for us to deliver something that's going to exceed consumers expectations. The next BioShock is going to take the franchise to the next level, which is always our ambition with all of our franchises." It's difficult to consider as a fan, however.

Not only has BioShock 4 been in development hell for over a decade now, going on to apparently fail an internal review with a story "in need of improvement," but the layoffs and leadership shakeup have understandably left us wary. Despite all of the "ups and downs along the way," though, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has offered assurances that "it's going to come out" – I'm just hopeful it's as revolutionary as Slatoff makes it sound.

"I don't think it works super well": BioShock creator Ken Levine hasn't been involved in BioShock 4's development, and he's not sure if people would want him to "come in and punch things up" anyway