2K, publisher of major franchises such as BioShock, Mafia, and Borderlands, could steal the show at Summer Game Fest following a new announcement. Summer Game Fest has essentially replaced E3 in terms of being the main gaming event for major studios and companies to show off their upcoming titles, with a live event that kicks it all off followed by a series of further livestreams over the following days, and with the event taking place in June, many companies are already starting to tease what they have in store.
A new post from the official Summer Game Fest X account confirmed that 2K plans to reveal the next iteration in one of its “biggest and most beloved franchises” during the Summer Game Fest opening event on Friday, June 7.
2K’s studios have several sequels in the works that this post could be alluding to, prompting rampant speculation from fans as to which one could be shown.
In 2022, several leaks confirmed that Mafia 4 was in the works at Mafia 3 and Mafia: Definitive Edition developer Hangar 13, but the studio has been largely quiet regarding the title since. These leaks did suggest that the title will move away from the United States, and will be a prequel set in Sicily, with players working for the Salieri crime family in the old country. Just last month, Kurakasis, who had previously found early information on games by discovering trademarks, took to X to state that 2K’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, was preparing for an announcement regarding the Mafia series. While Kurakasis said it was hard to determine a timeframe for this reveal, Summer Game Fest seems to be the obvious place for this.
It’s also long been known that a BioShock game has been in the works at Cloud Chamber since 2019, with the series’ previous developer Irrational Games having shut down in 2017. This announcement was made in a more official capacity by Take-Two, although it was stated that it would be several years from release. Since then, small nuggets of information have emerged surrounding the title, such as the hiring of Ghost of Tsushima‘s Liz Albl as the game’s narrative lead, and rumors that it will be set in an Antarctic setting.
Unfortunately, the last update on the game from OopsLeaks, who had been providing most of the information surrounding the title on X, claimed that it was in “development hell“, with the story being re-written and the game being rebooted for the fourth time despite having retained the location. This update came in 2022, however, so it’s possible the studio may have a reveal in the form of a cinematic or teaser trailer confirming the location and the latest iteration of the story during Summer Game Fest, even if the full release is still far in the future.
Lastly, it had been reported that despite some restructuring at developer Gearbox during its time under the ownership of Embracer Group that both a sequel to Borderlands 3 and the franchise’s fantasy-themed spinoff, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands were in development and were “progressing well.“ Since then, Take-Two has acquired Gearbox, and confirmed the new Borderlands game was still in development. If this move hasn’t disrupted the development timeline, it’s possible that a reveal of the upcoming title could be shown as part of Summer Game Fest as a way to celebrate Gearbox joining the Take-Two/2K family.
Outside of the live opening event where 2K is expected to reveal its new game, many major companies have announced their own showcases over the following days. Xbox has announced a major showcase accompanied by a [REDACTED] Direct event on June 9 that many believe will focus on Call of Duty‘s future following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, providing a first look at the next entry in the series and potentially confirming whether the shooter series will come to Game Pass subscriptions. Nintendo has also announced a Direct at some point in the month, although it’s not clear what will be revealed during this showcase, as the company’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, confirmed that its Switch successor will not be revealed at this event, but rather sometime later this fiscal year.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft has announced a Ubisoft Direct, which many expect will show gameplay footage of Assassin’s Creed Shadows following its recent cinematic story trailer that introduced its dual protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe. A new look at the Splinter Cell remake that was announced back in December 2021 is also possible, as Ubisoft Toronto changed its profile picture and banners on social media to Sam Fisher’s iconic green tri-lense night-vision goggles around the time of the showcase’s announcement.
With such a stacked event, a new Mafia, Borderlands or BioShock title would certainly be a way for 2K to stand out. Fortunately, with Summer Game Fest only being a few weeks away as of the time of writing, players won’t have to wait too long to find out which sequel is revealed.
Sources: Summer Game Fest/X