BioShock is coming back. Maybe. Hopefully. Please?

What we know for sure is that a team of developers is working on something codenamed Parkside, a top-secret project rumored to be the next BioShock game. This will be the second game in the series that isn’t developed by creator Ken Levine or Irrational Games. Further details are currently unavailable, but it’s hard not to wonder what publisher 2K Games has in store.

In an in-depth exploration of the decline of Mafia III’s developing company, Hangar 13, Kotaku’s Jason Schreier mentions that after Hangar 13 began to crumble, some of the crew moved over to a new, secret developer. This company is reported to be creating the next BioShock. Details beyond that are slim.

BioShock is a series that’s adored by many. The first game was featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s “Art of Videogames” exhibit. With its emphasis on story and world-building, the game remains a high watermark for action games and for the medium as a whole. It forced players to consider their role in the story and question why players are so willing to trust characters whom they barely know.

Reviving the renowned series puts pressure on 2K to make an entry that competes with its predecessors. This series is one of the most highly regarded in modern gaming, and the last thing fans want is a Phantom Menace situation where all of the mystery, fun and magic of the originals are taken away. Thankfully, 2K doesn’t seem to have much in common with George Lucas, so for now we’re safe.

Here are three things that 2K should (or should not) include in the new BioShock installment.

New Characters and a New Story

Booker DeWitt, Andrew Ryan and Atlas are all compelling characters, but this new entry should strive to break away from the shadow of Irrational Games and Ken Levine. The best way to do this is by creating a fresh narrative with new dynamic characters. Show Rapture and Columbia from a citizen’s point of view, or tell a story through the eyes of a member of the Vox Populi or the Splicers. Maybe tell multiple stories, show all points of view in Rapture’s Civil War or the Vox uprising. The wild, if confusing, ending of BioShock Infinite presents an opportunity to tell multiple stories, and 2K could draw parallels between the two conflicts, striking at something deeper.

Rather than rehash previous storylines, this new game should explore new ground and attempt to tell a more personal story. Perhaps instead of making a big societal statement, like BioShock did, 2K could shift the series’ focus like BioShock 2 did. Even though BioShock 2 is generally considered the weakest in the series, it succeeded in telling its own story. It showed a different side of the underwater city of Rapture and told a more personal story about the first Big Daddy trying to find his Little Sister, fighting an army of Plasmid-crazed Splicers and Big Sisters to do so.

No Prequels

One way to avoid ruining the magic of the original games is by avoiding established characters altogether. That way there isn’t pressure to reinvent them. Creating new characters with their own mysteries is enough to entice players to pay attention. This means one important suggestion: don’t make a prequel.

One of BioShock’s best features is how players uncover the lore of each city but never learn the whole story. Mystery is around every corner in these games, and attempting to explain any of it would be a disservice to the franchise. 2K needs to be careful not to over-explain or create a definite backstory for existing characters.

It might be exciting to explore the rise of Andrew Ryan, or the U.S. government’s involvement in the creation of Columbia, but that remains interesting because we don’t know the whole story. Shedding light on anything that’s established would diminish Irrational Games’ work. The last thing that 2K should do is make the previous games seem irrelevant.

No Multiplayer

What made the original BioShock great was its focus on the single-player experience. BioShock 2 attempted to get a dog in the multiplayer fight and the result is a bunch of half-baked ideas. “Capture the Sister” and “Adam Grab” were just bland attempts at capture the flag and king of the hill, respectively. The rest of the modes were either generic deathmatch or free-for-all. Playing as a Big Daddy was a welcome twist on the traditional multiplayer style, but it wasn’t enough to maintain player interest beyond a few matches. The recent remaster of BioShock 2 removed multiplayer entirely.

BioShock held players’ attention because of the mysteries in the city of Rapture and its compelling narrative. The creepy but interesting underwater utopia was worthy of countless visits. 2K can to do this again if it prioritizes making an engaging single-player game and leaves multiplayer alone.

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