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Bethesda Officially Cancels Prey 2

Ben-Dutka 7 Comments

At this point, you shouldn't be surprised.

Over the years, we've heard vague updates pertaining to a Prey sequel. It was delayed several times, it switched development teams, and then it was "in limbo."

Not good signs for any project and now, publisher Bethesda has confirmed that Prey 2 has been canceled. Pete Hines told CNET that it was a lack of quality and direction that decided them:

"It was a game we believed in, but we never felt that it got to where it needed to be–we never saw a path to success if we finished it. It wasn't up to our quality standard and we decided to cancel it. It's no longer in development. That wasn't an easy decision, but it's one that won't surprise many folks given that we hadn't been talking about it."

The original title released to decent critical acclaim in 2008, and the follow-up effort was first announced in 2011. For a while, it was in development at Human Head Studios but after that, we didn't hear much. Well, it's not like FPS fans have a shortage of games on the horizon, right?

Related Game(s): Prey 2

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Bethesda Hugely Disappointed With The Progress Of Prey 2

John-Shepard 5 Comments

The problem with Prey 2 ? It's just "not good enough."

Recent reports have stated the development has passed from former developer Human Head to Arkane Studios ( Dishonored ). And in speaking with IGN , Bethesda vice president of marketing Pete Hines explains that they've been very unhappy with the progress of the sequel.

Basically, he assures us that regardless of how disappointed we may be, it isn't a patch on how disappointed the publisher is right now. They're not satisfied at all :

"We appreciate that folks are displeased that we haven't had any update or any info on Prey 2, but whatever your displeasure is, you can't even be remotely as unhappy about it as us. We spent years and millions of dollars and a ton of effort trying to help Human Head make a great Prey 2 game. What we said the last time we said anything was that it's not up to our quality standards.

It's simply not good enough. We're not going to just proceed blindly with something that isn't good enough. We spent a lot of time and money and effort trying to make this thing happen and support folks, but at the same time, you just can’t keep throwing money at it and saying, 'sure, it’ll eventually work.' You have to have the discipline to say, ‘it’s not good enough. It’s not hitting the quality bar. Why isn't it? We’ve been at this for a while, and what we have is not what we talked about.’ So that’s where we are."

That "quality bar" of which he speaks continues to rise with every passing year. And if you're not at least reaching that bar on a routine basis, you could find yourself in very serious trouble in this industry. We know Bethesda only wants to produce games of the utmost quality and if they say Prey 2 isn't ready, we'll take their word for it. We can be patient, right?

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Rumor: Dishonored Developer Starts Fresh With Prey Sequel

Ben-Dutka 2 Comments

Prey was one of the more under-appreciated games of the generation, and we had hoped we'd see a sequel by now.

Unfortunately, after being announced in 2011, Prey 2 has apparently endured a rocky road. It was delayed in 2012 due to quality issues and then developer Human Head said the project was on hold.

But according to inside sources speaking to Kotaku , the game is no longer at Human Head, as development has shifted to Arkane Studios, the team that brought you the award-winning Dishonored . It also seems that anything Human Head did has been ditched and Arkane is basically starting over, which is why there's a tentative release date of 2016. To add to the drama, it seems some members of Arkane Austin aren't too happy about this, but some are treating it like a new System Shock . Interesting, no?

Prey utilized several really good ideas and Arkane has proven themselves with Dishonored . And if they're thinking of it as another System Shock , well…color us intrigued.

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Prey 2 Keeps Drawing Further Away, May Need Burial Rites

Ben-Dutka 4 Comments

One of the more interesting first-person titles of the generation was Prey , which featured a blend of standard FPS action and a unique mode of exploration via portals.

The second was supposed to have done away with the one feature that made it unique ('cries') and arrive at some point in 2012. Then Bethesda confirmed that while the game was still in development, it wouldn't launch this year. And now, according to Eurogamer , the sequel has disappeared from the publisher's online portfolio. A company representative said:

"We announced the delay in April, and until we're ready to talk about the game more, the focus on the site is on our upcoming titles."

Considering that The Elder Scrolls Online is listed with a 2013 date, this info would imply that Prey 2 is even beyond that. Then we have to start talking about the next generation of hardware, right? However, at this point, when a game just shows no visible traction and it keeps getting pushed back, one has to assume that it ain't gonna show up. A harsh truth, but there it is.

Related Game(s): Prey 2

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Bethesda: Prey 2 Not Canceled, Just Delayed Beyond 2012

Ben-Dutka 7 Comments

It's always good to have the official clarification.

About three weeks ago, various sources reported that Prey 2 may have been canceled . After all, we hadn't heard anything about the project for an extended period of time, and it did seem feasible.

But in an update today from Bethesda PR, we have the correction: The game hasn't been canceled; it is merely delayed. It won't hit the estimated 2012 release window as, according to the company statement, "the game does not currently meet our quality standards." They go on to say that Prey 2 still shows "great promise" and they've made a "substantial investment" in the project's development, so they won't release it until they're convinced it's ready. That's probably the best idea as the shooter competition these days is so out of control, you had best come with your A game.

Maybe we'll learn more about Prey 2 as the year progresses and hopefully, it will indeed be well worth playing when it finally hits store shelves.

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Bethesda May Have Given Prey 2 The Axe

Ben-Dutka 9 Comments

It's never a good sign when an extended period of time passes with nothing in the way of updates or new info.

If you check the Dutch site PSFocus – and you've got a translator – you'll see that several sources are saying publisher Bethesda Softworks has canceled the anticipated Prey sequel.

It has been in development at Human Head since last year but since then, we've heard next to nothing. Prey 2 was supposed to boast a new main character and even some drastic gameplay alterations; specifically, the familiar portals from the first game would disappear and the game would feel more like a traditional shooter. The developers had also intended to ditch the idea of online multiplayer so they could focus on the single-player campaign. Maybe that was it…no shooter these days can release without a multiplayer option, even if single-player remains the focus.

But whatever the reason, it seems we may never see Prey 2 . Well, it's not like there's a severe FPS shortage in gaming.

Related Game(s): Prey 2

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