South of Midnight Star Adriyan Rae May Have Leaked Her BioShock 4 Role

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I’ve been covering BioShock 4 news for what feels like an eternity now, and after years of radio silence from Cloud Chamber, our first real casting scoop just dropped from the most unexpected place imaginable—a Golden Joystick interview with South of Midnight’s lead actress.

Adriyan Rae (BioShock 4 Role), who delivered one of 2025’s standout performances as Hazel in Compulsion Games’ critically acclaimed action-adventure, casually revealed details about a mysterious 2K project she worked on back in 2021. She never names the game directly. But the breadcrumbs she dropped paint a picture that screams Plasmids, Vigors, and underwater utopias. Or, if the recent leaks hold water, a frozen city called Borealis.

Key Takeaways:

• Adriyan Rae worked on a secret 2K project in 2021 featuring telekinetic powers and villain sidekick role—classic BioShock mechanics
• Self-destructing emails and extreme NDAs suggest this was a major IP, consistent with how 2K handles BioShock Motion capture took place in San Francisco, near Cloud Chamber’s offices, with full performance capture sessions
• The 2021 timeline aligns perfectly with known BioShock 4 development before the project’s reported reboot in 2022 Rae’s performance may have been scrapped when Cloud Chamber underwent leadership changes and laid off 30% of staff in August 2025
• Rod Fergusson (Gears of War, Diablo IV) now leads the franchise, signaling 2K’s commitment to shipping the game BioShock 4 release expected no earlier than 2027, with Take-Two promising “hand on heart” the game will eventually come out

The Telekinetic Smoking Gun Points to BioShock 4 (BioShock 4 Role)

The bombshell came during a Gamereactor interview where Rae discussed her journey into video game acting. When asked if South of Midnight was her first game project, she surprised everyone with a revelation that’s been living rent-free in my head ever since.

“I think it was BioShock 4. I don’t know. Allegedly. I literally have no idea,” Rae said, before elaborating on the mysterious project. “I did a game, and it was with 2K Productions. I did it in 2021, right after I was off Chicago Fire. That was the next thing that I did.”

Here’s where it gets unmistakably BioShock. Rae described playing “the assistant to a villain, like the sidekick who did all the punching people and put all the dirty work.” But it’s her description of her character’s abilities that really caught my attention.

“I could levitate. I had telekinesis. I was throwing things and I was fighting and it was so much fun,” she explained. “I had superpowers, I had telekinesis, and I was picking people up and throwing them against walls and stuff.”

If that doesn’t sound exactly like a Plasmid or Vigor power set, I genuinely don’t know what does. The franchise has been built on supernatural abilities that let players ragdoll enemies through the environment. Telekinesis has been a staple since the original BioShock let us catch grenades mid-air and hurl them back at Splicers.

Self-Destructing Emails and Corporate Secrecy

What really sells this as a legitimate BioShock connection is the level of secrecy Rae describes. We’re not talking about standard NDA stuff here—this is some Mission: Impossible-level operational security.

“I don’t even know the name of it, cause they never tell you the name,” Rae continued. “And I don’t even have, like, I can’t even go back in my emails because all of them self-destructed. So like, even if someone was to look, they’d be like, ‘no, that never really happened.’ They might be able to prove that it never happened, but I know I was there.”

That’s the kind of corporate paranoia reserved for massive IPs where leaks could tank stock prices or derail years of careful marketing. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a franchise as beloved and scrutinized as BioShock.

The motion capture work took place at a studio in San Francisco, which sits conveniently close to Cloud Chamber’s offices. Rae spent considerable time there, suiting up in mocap gear and bringing her telekinetic villain’s sidekick to life through performance capture—a process she says taught her a lot about game development.

How This Fits BioShock 4’s Troubled Development

The timing actually makes this leak even more credible. Rae’s work happened in 2021, right when rumors suggested Cloud Chamber was deep in development on a version of BioShock 4 set in a 1960s Antarctic city called Borealis. Back then, there was even optimistic chatter about a potential 2022 reveal—something we now know was wildly off the mark.

But here’s the thing: 2022 was reportedly when development hit the reset button. A leaked image from a 2021 demo surfaced in 2024, suggesting significant work had been completed before the project was rebooted. If Rae was doing mocap and recording lines in 2021, she would have been working on that now-discarded version.

This tracks with what we know about the game’s troubled development. Bloomberg reported earlier this year that BioShock 4 failed an internal review at 2K, leading to leadership changes and a narrative overhaul. Former studio head Kelley Gilmore was removed, creative director Hogarth de la Plante shifted to a publishing role, and roughly 30% of Cloud Chamber’s staff—about 80 people—lost their jobs.

Rod Fergusson, the industry veteran who shipped Gears of War and launched Diablo IV, was brought in to steer the franchise back on course. When someone with that track record gets called in, you know the publisher is serious about salvaging the project.

The Villain’s Sidekick Fits BioShock’s DNA Perfectly

Let’s talk about Rae’s character for a moment, because her description is fascinating from a franchise perspective. A telekinetic sidekick to the main antagonist who handles the “dirty work”? That’s a character archetype BioShock has explored before in various forms.

Think about the dynamics in previous games. Andrew Ryan had Frank Fontaine pulling strings in the shadows. Comstock had his Vox Populi enemies and the Songbird as physical threats before players faced him directly. A powerful lieutenant with supernatural abilities gives players a tangible boss encounter before reaching the philosophical big bad—and it fits the series’ DNA perfectly.

The fact that Rae’s character could levitate and throw enemies around suggests she might have been meant as a significant combat encounter, possibly even a major boss fight. It’s exactly the kind of spectacle Cloud Chamber would need to establish BioShock 4’s combat credentials early on.

There’s also the question of whether this hints at a female protagonist—or at least a more diverse cast. Rae is a talented Black actress who brought incredible depth to Hazel in South of Midnight. If she was cast in a prominent role for BioShock 4, it suggests Cloud Chamber was (and hopefully still is) interested in expanding the franchise’s representation. The gaming landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years, and players increasingly expect diverse casts in AAA titles.

Did Rae’s Performance Survive the Reboot?

This is the million-dollar question, and unfortunately, nobody—possibly including Rae herself—knows the answer.

“It never came out. And then there were so many NDAs, so I had no way of telling. I probably never even worked on it, who knows?” Rae admitted during the interview.

Games get rebooted all the time at major publishers. Sometimes entire years of work end up in the digital graveyard—voice recordings, mocap data, character models, storylines. It’s brutal but common, especially for projects as ambitious as BioShock 4 reportedly is.

That said, reboots don’t always mean everything gets scrapped. Sometimes narrative elements survive even when gameplay systems or settings change. If Rae’s villain sidekick character resonated with the team, there’s a chance she could return—either as the same character or in an adapted role for the current version of the game.

During the interview, Rae even hinted at potential future developments: “I might have to just come back to you and give you like an exclusive so you can tell people too.” Whether that’s wishful thinking or genuine insider knowledge, we’ll have to wait and see. For players interested in similar narrative-driven experiences, Arc Raiders offers some compelling story moments worth exploring.

Why I’m Taking This Seriously

Look, I’ve been burned by gaming rumors before. I’ve gotten hyped for leaks that turned out to be elaborate fakes, and I’ve dismissed insider info that proved absolutely true. So I try to approach these things with healthy skepticism.

But this one hits different. Rae isn’t some anonymous Reddit user or clout-chasing Twitter account. She’s a working actress with a verified track record who stood to gain absolutely nothing from making this up—and potentially risked professional relationships by discussing it at all.

The specific details she provided line up too neatly to be coincidence:

• 2K Games connection: Check. Cloud Chamber is a 2K studio.
• 2021 timeline: Check. Aligns with known development activity before the reboot.
• San Francisco location: Check. Near Cloud Chamber’s offices.
• Telekinetic powers: Check. Core BioShock gameplay mechanic since 2007.
• Extreme secrecy: Check. Consistent with how 2K has handled this project.
• Motion capture work: Check. Expected for a next-gen AAA title.

Could there be another 2K project from 2021 that featured telekinesis and villain sidekicks? Technically possible. But Occam’s Razor suggests the simplest explanation: Adriyan Rae worked on an earlier version of BioShock 4.

What This Means for BioShock 4’s Future

Even if Rae’s performance doesn’t make it into the final game, this interview tells us something important: substantial work on BioShock 4 existed as far back as 2021. The project wasn’t just concept art and design documents—they had actors in mocap suits, recording dialogue, building characters.

That’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, it confirms BioShock 4 was (and presumably still is) a real, tangible project with serious development behind it. On the other hand, knowing all that work may have been scrapped is genuinely heartbreaking for everyone involved.

Current analyst expectations place BioShock 4’s release no earlier than 2027, with some projections extending beyond that. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has promised “hand on heart, without question” that the game will come out, but after this many reboots and setbacks, patience is the only option.

In the meantime, there’s Judas—Ken Levine’s spiritual successor releasing in 2026—and the Netflix BioShock movie still slowly making its way through development. Fans have options, even if the main course keeps getting delayed.

Hoping Her Work Sees the Light of Day

I’m genuinely rooting for Adriyan Rae’s BioShock 4 performance to survive. Her work as Hazel in South of Midnight proved she can carry a game, bringing emotional depth and physical presence to a complex protagonist. The idea of her playing a telekinetic villain’s sidekick—powerful, threatening, and presumably tragic in true BioShock fashion—is exactly the kind of casting that could elevate the franchise.

But even if her recordings ended up in the same digital graveyard as those self-destructing emails, this interview gives us something we haven’t had in years: concrete evidence that BioShock 4 was a real thing with real actors doing real work. After years of nothing but silence and rumors, that’s something.

Would you kindly stay tuned? If Rae knows more than she’s letting on, we might get that exclusive she teased. And if not, well—at least we know the franchise’s trademark telekinesis was in the mix. Some things never change.

Frequently Asked Questions About BioShock 4

Is BioShock 4 confirmed?

Yes, BioShock 4 is officially confirmed and in active development at Cloud Chamber Studios under publisher 2K Games. Take-Two Interactive has repeatedly stated the game “is going to come out” despite development challenges. The project was announced in 2019, and while it’s faced significant setbacks including leadership changes and layoffs in 2025, development continues with Rod Fergusson now heading the franchise.

Is Netflix really making BioShock?

Yes, Netflix is developing a live-action BioShock movie with Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) directing. The film will be based on the first game’s story set in Rapture and is expected to begin production after Lawrence finishes Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping in late 2026. Michael Green (Logan, Blade Runner 2049) wrote early drafts, with Justin Rhodes handling the current version.

Is BioShock Infinite worth playing in 2025?

Absolutely. BioShock Infinite remains one of the most visually stunning and narratively ambitious shooters ever made. The floating city of Columbia holds up beautifully thanks to exceptional art direction, and Elizabeth is still considered one of gaming’s best companion characters. The combat is fast-paced and satisfying, especially on PC. The BioShock Collection offers all three games at an excellent value for newcomers.

Is Ken Levine working on BioShock 4?

No, Ken Levine is not involved with BioShock 4. He stepped away from the franchise after BioShock Infinite, feeling he’d said what he needed to say through the series. Levine is currently developing Judas at Ghost Story Games—a spiritual successor set aboard a spaceship called the Mayflower, scheduled for 2026. He has expressed confidence in Rod Fergusson’s leadership of the BioShock franchise.

Why was BioShock discontinued?

BioShock was never discontinued—it simply went on an extended hiatus. After BioShock Infinite in 2013, 2K established Cloud Chamber Studios specifically to develop the next entry. Development has been lengthy due to creative challenges, multiple reboots, and leadership changes, but the franchise remains active with both a game and Netflix movie in development.

Which BioShock is Rapture?

Rapture appears in the original BioShock (2007) and BioShock 2 (2010). It’s the iconic underwater city created by industrialist Andrew Ryan as a supposed utopia free from government and religious oversight, which ultimately collapsed due to civil war and ADAM addiction. While BioShock Infinite takes place in the floating city of Columbia, Rapture makes a significant appearance in its Burial at Sea DLC.