BioShock was a significant title in gaming, marked by a more thematically mature story while providing a meta-commentary on the medium itself. It received two follow-ups, BioShock 2 and BioShock: Infinite, and though neither was quite as well-received nor lauded as the original, the franchise has nevertheless been enshrined as one of gaming's most revered. Naturally, fans expected a BioShock 4 to materialize at some point, but after Infinite in 2013, the series appeared to be on ice, and there was no news about another BioShock for quite a while after.