Adriyan Rae just became gaming’s most interesting mystery woman. The actress who captivated players as Hazel in South of Midnight has casually dropped a bombshell: she might have worked on BioShock 4 back in 2021, playing a telekinetic villain’s sidekick. The catch? She has no idea if that’s actually what it was.
In a TikTok clip responding to whether South of Midnight was her first video game, Rae set the record straight. She worked on another game before that, something she believes was BioShock 4, though the layers of secrecy surrounding the project mean she can’t say for certain. This revelation adds another fascinating wrinkle to the already convoluted story of one of gaming’s most anticipated sequels.
The Mysterious San Francisco Sessions
Rae didn’t just phone in her performance for this mystery project. She was commuting to a production studio in San Francisco and working hard on motion capture and voice work for a character with serious power. According to her account, she played a character who served as the assistant to a villain, someone who did all the heavy lifting and fighting while possessing telekinetic abilities.
The description sounds unmistakably BioShock. She could levitate objects, lift people, and throw them against walls using her mind. Anyone familiar with the series knows that telekinesis and superpowers are signature elements of BioShock’s gameplay, going all the way back to the original game’s plasmids in Rapture. The fact that she was playing a villain’s sidekick rather than the protagonist adds an intriguing twist to what we might expect from the narrative structure.
NDAs and Self-Destructing Emails
Here’s where things get properly secretive. Rae mentions that the project was locked down tighter than Fort Knox. She had so many NDAs that she genuinely doesn’t know what she worked on. Even better, or worse depending on your perspective, her emails about the project were set to self-destruct. She joked that if someone tried to find proof of her involvement, they might conclude it never happened at all.
This level of security isn’t unusual for major video game projects, especially one as anticipated as BioShock 4. After six years since the game’s initial announcement with barely any official information released, it makes sense that 2K would want to keep everything under wraps. The fact that this work happened in 2021 lines up with the timeline of BioShock 4’s protracted development.
A Troubled Development Timeline
BioShock 4 has been stuck in development hell for years. First confirmed in 2019 when 2K announced that new studio Cloud Chamber would handle development, the game has actually been in some form of production since at least 2017. An even earlier version at studio Certain Affinity was reportedly cancelled back in 2016.
Things took a dramatic turn in mid-2025 when reports surfaced that the game had failed an internal review by 2K executives. Studio head Kelley Gilmore was removed, creative director Hogarth de la Plante moved to a publishing role, and the narrative was flagged for needing major changes. Cloud Chamber experienced layoffs in August 2025, and analysts now don’t expect the game before 2027 at the earliest.
If Rae’s work was indeed for BioShock 4 back in 2021, there’s a real possibility that her entire performance and character were scrapped during the narrative overhaul. This would explain why the game never came out and why she remains uncertain about what she actually worked on. It’s not uncommon for years of work to be thrown away when games undergo major creative shifts.
What Her Role Reveals About BioShock 4
Assuming Rae did work on BioShock 4, her description offers tantalizing clues about what the game might have looked like in that 2021 version. Having a playable character who serves as a villain’s assistant is unusual for the series. Previous BioShock games put you in the shoes of protagonists who eventually turn against the villains, not characters who start out working for them.
The telekinesis powers she described align perfectly with BioShock’s signature gameplay. The series has always been about genetic modification and superhuman abilities, whether through plasmids in Rapture or vigors in Columbia. Recent leaks have suggested BioShock 4 will feature an ADAM-like substance returning to the franchise, which would make sense for maintaining that core power fantasy.
From Mystery Game to South of Midnight Success
Whatever that 2021 project was, it led Rae to South of Midnight, where she delivered a Golden Joystick Award-nominated performance as Hazel. The timing works out perfectly. She mentioned working on the mystery 2K project right after finishing Chicago Fire, then moved on to South of Midnight shortly after.
South of Midnight released in April 2025 to critical acclaim, with particular praise for Rae’s voice work and motion capture performance. She brought depth and emotional resonance to Hazel’s journey through the supernatural Deep South, helping make the game one of the year’s standout narrative experiences. The actress even recorded some of her first motion capture sessions while in her first trimester of pregnancy.
BioShock 4 Remains a Ghost
Despite Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick promising the game will definitely come out, BioShock 4 remains frustratingly elusive. Beyond a leaked screenshot from 2021 showing retro-futuristic architecture and what appeared to be gameplay UI, we’ve seen almost nothing official. Recent leaks about a casino setting, enemies called Flushers, and an Antarctic city called Borealis have stirred excitement, but all of that could be outdated or scrapped given the development troubles.
Rae’s revelation adds one more piece to the puzzle, though like everything else about this game, it raises more questions than answers. Was she really in BioShock 4? If so, does her character still exist in the current version? Will we ever see the telekinetic villain’s assistant she brought to life in that San Francisco studio?
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Adriyan Rae work on BioShock 4?
Adriyan Rae believes she worked on BioShock 4 in 2021 for 2K Productions, but she cannot confirm it due to extensive NDAs and the secretive nature of the project. She recorded motion capture and voice work for what she thinks might have been the game, playing a character with telekinetic powers.
What character did Adriyan Rae play in the mystery game?
Rae played a character who was the assistant to a villain, someone who did heavy lifting and fighting with telekinetic abilities. She could levitate objects and throw people against walls, which aligns with BioShock’s signature gameplay mechanics.
When did Adriyan Rae work on this project?
Rae worked on the mystery project in 2021, right after finishing her role on Chicago Fire. She was commuting to a production studio in San Francisco for motion capture and voice recording sessions.
Why doesn’t Adriyan Rae know what game she worked on?
The project was locked down with numerous NDAs and her emails about it were set to self-destruct. The extreme level of secrecy means she genuinely cannot confirm whether it was BioShock 4 or another game entirely.
Was South of Midnight Adriyan Rae’s first video game?
No, the mystery 2K project was technically her first video game work, though it was never released. South of Midnight, where she plays protagonist Hazel, is her first released video game and earned her a Golden Joystick Award nomination for Best Lead Performer.
Could Adriyan Rae’s work have been scrapped from BioShock 4?
It’s very possible. BioShock 4 underwent a major narrative overhaul in 2025 after failing an internal review. If Rae worked on the game in 2021, her character and performance may have been cut during the creative restructuring.
When will BioShock 4 be released?
There is no official release date. After development troubles and layoffs in 2025, analysts don’t expect the game before 2027 at the earliest. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has promised the game will eventually come out.
The Waiting Game Continues
BioShock fans are used to disappointment by now. It’s been over a decade since BioShock Infinite launched, and we’re no closer to playing the sequel than we were six years ago when it was announced. Adriyan Rae’s story adds a human element to the game’s troubled development, showing just how much work can vanish into the void when projects struggle.
Whether she actually worked on BioShock 4 or something else entirely, her experience highlights the challenging reality of game development. Years of effort, talented performances, and creative vision can all disappear if a project doesn’t come together. For now, all we can do is wait and hope that whenever BioShock 4 finally surfaces, it was worth the agonizingly long journey. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see Rae’s telekinetic villain sidekick after all.