The Prey 2 Thread

[K100]

Originally Posted by MrBlackCat

This is good to hear. Something seems odd to me though. I would like to see some more information on "what happened". Hmmm...

Well there is a new rumor:

"Human Head hasn't worked on Prey 2 since November":

http://www.shacknews.com/article/734...medium=twitter

[MrBlackCat]

Hey K100...
I see that. That is why I think there is a lot of something "big" that went on. I don't really know much about Human Head and I never played Prey, but Prey 2 is of interest to me for sure.
I suppose like with Duke Nukem Forever, it will be a LONG time before we know even part of what really happened.

In reading the various articles, then the "official statement" it sounds like Bethesda, is making a "dig" at Human Head... I have no way to judge if that is appropriate or not.

Here’s the straight-to-the-point statement Bethesda sent out:

Development of Prey 2 has not been cancelled but the game will not be released in 2012 as planned. The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards. Prey 2 has shown great promise and we regret disappointing our fans. We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want. We are determined only to release the AAA game that fans rightfully expect, and are unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule."

(Source)

But Bethesda can speak, where Human Head most likely "can not". NDA's can leave you where you aren't legally allowed to defend yourself sometimes. In MY opinion, that is what this looks like.
The delays can't be denied... but not meeting the "Bethesda" quality standards, I have no way to know, so it seems unfairly vague to me. Sounds arrogant, but could be confidence. I don't even own any modern games that Bethesda was involved with, so I can't even weigh it from that angle. The Terminator FPS's were kind of buggy if I remember, but I honestly can't remember if that is memories from the Demos or the full versions, as it has been many years ago.

MrBlackCat

[Damien_Azreal]

While the news is sad (if true) that Human Head are not developing.
ZeniMax will release PREY 2.
It would be a stupid business move to buy the IP, drop funding into three or so years of development only to can the game.

They may end up bringing in another studio to finish it if things between HH and ZeniMax don't work out. But, one way or another the game will come out.
Personally, I hope it works out and HH finish it.

But however it goes, when it's released, I will buy PREY 2.

[SpinX]

I think they've put ID software or splash damage at the head of Prey 2 development because they've got experience with ID tech 4...

Sad for human head, they are a very competent studio...

[Kit]

Bizarre statement. Bethesda have shipped some shockers over the years. There's clearly more to this story than the statement they've put out.

Also, from what Giantbomb said in their preview it sounded like things were shaping up nicely.

[smoke.tetsu]

Originally Posted by SpinX

I think they've put ID software or splash damage at the head of Prey 2 development because they've got experience with ID tech 4...

Sad for human head, they are a very competent studio...

So shipping one custom id tech 4 game does not count as experience? As for who they brought in to finish the game Splash Damage may be plausible and they have shipped two id tech 4 titles (ETQW and Brink)... but I doubt it'd be id themselves because they have other priorities the most immediate being id tech 5 and Doom 4... then after that, RAGE 2 and perhaps Quake V and or Quake Arena sequel and a new Wolfenstein title. I think their plates are full and I don't think they'd work on someone else's IP.

[Damien_Azreal]

There has been nothing to completely confirm Human Head are no longer working on PREY 2.
It was a rumor that Bethesda/ZeniMax "may" be taking the title away from HH and bringing in another developer. But that was never confirmed, or even commented on.

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

That's right. We don't have anything else to go on at the moment. In the latest issue of PC Gamer UK, in the spy section they talk about how Prey was about to be cancelled by Bethesda, who changed there mind at the last minute after the outpouring of support by press and fans.

Human Head sounds like they are planning to Kickstart a sequel to Rune. Personally, I would love both though that's not likely. Really wish them the best as a studio. Must've been really hard to stay independent for 15 years.

[Flying Techbot]

It's a shame that Tommy won't be the main character, and that the game is making a white guy hero and space sheriff of the sequel, but it still looks awesome. I do wish they could come up with an explanation as to how the human heroes can hear the aliens speak in English to them. In PREY 1, I assumed the reason Tommy could understand the aliens was because of his spiritual abilities and his Cherokee heritage. How come the Sheriff of PREY 2 can hear the aliens speak to him in a variety of Earth-based accents in English?

Aside from that, it's an interesting that PREY has shifted from aliens harvesting aliens for protein to humans preying upon other aliens. So the hero (who happens to be a survivor of The Sphere abduction) is hanging around in a BLADE RUNNER-like planet and collecting bounties on average sized aliens? Where do the REALLY interesting aliens come in? What threat is bigger than the The Sphere, and will PREY 2 have awesome boss fights in the classical 3D Realms/Apogee tradition? We could only hope...

[Commando Nukem]

I'd rather the series died, honestly.

To me it sounds like everything that made the first one in any way original(ish), or at least fresh, has been altered somehow. Plus, dropping all the narrative threads is, to me, a big no-no.

[Altered Reality]

Originally Posted by Commando Nukem

I'd rather the series died, honestly.

No, you don't, and now I'll explain why. If the series dies, those who hope it does will be happy, but those who hoped it continued will not be. A group loses. If the series continues, those who want a continuation will be able to play it and will be happy; those who did not want a continuation will be able to... NOT play it, and be happy. Everyone wins.

[MrBlackCat]

Pretty profound statement there... I guess that is from having your reality altered or something hu?

I still think this will be a game I want to try in the future.

MrBlackCat

[Altered Reality]

Originally Posted by MrBlackCat

Pretty profound statement there... I guess that is from having your reality altered or something hu?

It comes from countless conversations with nostalgics who don't want follow-ups to stories they enjoyed because they fear they would be bad. But hoping that a story will not continue means that it's not enough for them to have it their way, they want to force their point of view to everyone. That is something I will never accept.

[MrBlackCat]

I understand that concept completely.

There is a large group of people who must destroy all that isn't as they wish it to be... none of that silly "choice" stuff from them, it must be removed from all because they don't like it. (Very common with religions followed by "terrorists" actually)

I am glad you stated your view... that too is a freedom being eroded by the above concept. I would expect no less than a fan of CN though.

Anyway, I keep coming back here for "news" as I am kind of short on internet research time lately...
So is there any more "real" information about the state of this game? A quick google search doesn't give much recent, or even realistic rumor.

MrBlackCat

[Damien_Azreal]

Originally Posted by Altered Reality

No, you don't, and now I'll explain why. If the series dies, those who hope it does will be happy, but those who hoped it continued will not be. A group loses. If the series continues, those who want a continuation will be able to play it and will be happy; those who did not want a continuation will be able to... NOT play it, and be happy. Everyone wins.

Yes, it's funny how some people think it would be the best if it was just dead. Only because they don't like a certain treatment.

Yes, lets crap on everyone's feelings because we don't like it. By that rationality, lets go ahead and kill off Team Fortress 2. I hate it. So... it'd be best for everyone, right?

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

It looks like Human Head will be releasing an updated version of Rune this Friday on steam. Maybe to gauge interest levels in the franchise or possibly in combination with a kickstarter campaign for Rune 2.

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAEyS...eature=g-all-u

Also, Brian Karris, the graphics programmer at Human Head, is leaving the studio to join Epic to work on the new Unreal engine. Man, I hope they still get to finish Prey 2.

[crunchy superman]

^ They've been doing a bunch of questionnaires on Facebook, so I'd say Rune2 is definitely their plan at this point. Whether or not they can get it going is another story.

I'd say Prey2 is out of their hands and likely shelved at this point.

[flying scotsman]

I had so much fun while playing original Prey,and the promise in the credits that Prey will continue,made me almost cry out of happiness.Now Prey 2 trailer made this feeling grow ever stronger.Hopes high and low,high beacause i agree with everything i saw in the trailer and agree wholeheartedly with Prey 2 evolving.....in my opinion in right direction,low beacause uncertain future of the title.I really dont give a "you know what" about Rune,i want Prey 2

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

Originally Posted by crunchy superman

^ They've been doing a bunch of questionnaires on Facebook, so I'd say Rune2 is definitely their plan at this point. Whether or not they can get it going is another story.

I'd say Prey2 is out of their hands and likely shelved at this point.

Yeah, that looks to be the case. Human Head have always punched above their weight, a small team delivering a huge game, so maybe they can pull off an awesome Rune 2. Here's hoping.

Edit: New Rune site is up:

http://rune-world.com/

[Damien_Azreal]

Originally Posted by crunchy superman

^ They've been doing a bunch of questionnaires on Facebook, so I'd say Rune2 is definitely their plan at this point. Whether or not they can get it going is another story.

I'd say Prey2 is out of their hands and likely shelved at this point.

Well, PREY 2 may be "out of their hands" but I doubt Bethesda would be willing to just shelve it and move on.
Bringing in another studio to finish it seems more line with their habits.

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

Originally Posted by Damien_Azreal

Well, PREY 2 may be "out of their hands" but I doubt Bethesda would be willing to just shelve it and move on.
Bringing in another studio to finish it seems more line with their habits.

I just hope they keep the original intent of the project intact. It would suck if something's lost in the transition to a new studio.

An update from Bethesda: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-big-franchise

"What we said was it was not coming out this year and we're still trying to sort some things out with Human Head," Hines told Eurogamer. "That really hasn't changed. I don't have an update for you on that, other than it's not coming out this year."

Has Bethesda switched developers?

"I don't have anything else I can tell you right now."

[Commando Nukem]

Originally Posted by Altered Reality

It comes from countless conversations with nostalgics who don't want follow-ups to stories they enjoyed because they fear they would be bad. But hoping that a story will not continue means that it's not enough for them to have it their way, they want to force their point of view to everyone. That is something I will never accept.

Then you become your own worst enemy. Not being able to accept the point of view that i'd rather something ended good, then have it continue and potentially be run into the ground is a point of view you should be willing to accept, respect, and understand.

If you want more, I have no issue with that. I have an issue with drastically changing things.

I was wrong about Max Payne 3 though, so maybe i'll be wrong about Prey 2 aswell. I just don't like what I've seen or heard.

[Altered Reality]

i'd rather something ended good, then have it continue and potentially be run into the ground is a point of view you should be willing to accept, respect, and understand.

But if you want something to end, you can just choose not to experience the following episodes. As far as your experiences are concerned, the work will have ended. A bad episode does not ruin the previous ones: the only way for it to do so would be physically rewriting them, replacing the material you already have with something worse.
For example, I loathe Back To The Future 3, but I don't go around saying it ruined the previous two episodes, because it's not like it changed the scenes of the other two, and it does not prevent me from liking them. And I don't go around saying that they should have stopped at part 2, because some people like part 3 too, and I respect their idea.

I just don't like what I've seen or heard.

I don't like what I heard either. And what I heard is that Prey 2 is cancelled.

[Damien_Azreal]

Originally Posted by Altered Reality

.... And I don't go around saying that they should have stopped at part 2, because some people like part 3 too, and I respect their idea.

Specially since they filmed 2 and 3 back to back as one movie. Then realized while filming it was way too long to be one film.

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

In Human Head related news, they just released Rune Classic on Steam. It's 20% off at the moment. This interview definitely points to a Rune 2 Kickstarter in the future.

http://www.neogamr.net/news/intervie...t-rune-revival

It doesn't sound like any progress has been made on Prey 2, there still in talks with Bethesda.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-big-franchise

[Commando Nukem]

Originally Posted by Altered Reality

But if you want something to end, you can just choose not to experience the following episodes. As far as your experiences are concerned, the work will have ended. A bad episode does not ruin the previous ones:

Not always true. A bad sequel can ruin a franchise in pop culture. Not to mention kill it forever, and never allow for a better, more faithful, sequel to be made.

Originally Posted by Altered Reality

I don't like what I heard either. And what I heard is that Prey 2 is cancelled.

Good.

[Damien_Azreal]

PREY 2 has not been cancelled.
That was clarified a while back as just being a rumor. Development is on hold due to conflicts between Bethesda and Human Head.

If those issues are not resolved, Human Head will be off the game... and Bethesda will bring in another studio to finish the title.

[KO Gilligan]

Bethesda should change their name to Behemoth now that they are often embroiled in A-title disputes. Not that I'm complaining, I've been a Beth fan for a very long time, and their issues are probably reasonable.

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

Ugh...

http://beefjack.com/news/bethesda-ha...-expectations/

"So what is going on with Prey 2? The sequel to the 2007 shooter has seen some muddy waters in recent months, with rumours of cancellation, delays, and unfriendly terms between publisher Bethesda and developer Human Head Studios. Those terms seem to have come to a head, as Bethesda’s VP of marketing Pete Hines has stated that development on Prey 2 has been halted.

“I can be very clear about this. At one point, we looked at Prey 2 and decided that in its current state, with all the money, time, and resources we put into it, it didn’t meet our expectations. So we decided to pull the plug from our end,” Hines says to IGN.

Because Bethesda owns the Prey license, Human Head Studios can’t take the game to another publisher under its current moniker. It would have to become a new IP, and we may ultimately get a very different Prey 2 further down the line.

“It was a tough business decision, but at that point it was the right one. It’s never a good thing to have to make those choices. It’s a shame, but it comes with the territory,” Hines continues.

A damn shame. Prey 2 looked really promising, especially because it dared to break the mould of its predecessor and try something new.

Excuse me, I think I have something in both my eyes."

Poor Human Head.

Edit: Seems to be a poor translation. Phew!


https://twitter.com/DCDeacon/status/240177087720349696

Quote:
To clarify, I didn't say Prey 2 was canx. Gave an interview in English, translated to Dutch, translated back to English. #LostInTranslation

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

The Human Head Studios situation seems a little brighter. After bleeding talent for the last nine months it seems there going on a bit of a hiring spree.

http://rune-world.com/content/human-head-hiring

A huge number of vacancies are available so here's hoping they worked everything out with Bethesda.

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

Sorry for double posting but...

"Wisconsin developer Human Head Studios seems to be bleeding talent—something that could throw their future as a AAA developer into doubt. Last month, the studio's COO—who was "leading the company in Business Development, Product Development, Marketing and PR"—and development director left.

Those who either departed or were laid off since the beginning of the year include: the company's HR manager, a game programmer, a level scripter, a lead graphics programmer, a lead programmer, a QA person, a technology programmer, an associate producer, a character and lighting artist, a combat designer (apparently technically still at HH, but contracting for another studio in another state), and an audio director. In all, that is 13 notable people who left a studio that had a headcount of around 50-70 at their peak.

Despite Human Head and Bethesda's insistence that Prey 2 is still a thing that will see release at some point, thirty-something developers are probably not enough manpower to handle development of a AAA open-world sandbox title with far more complex systems and more content than your typical linear action game, especially if Prey 2 still has a ways to go quality-wise as the publisher claims. Also, recent passive-aggressive tweets from Human Head employees do not exactly inspire the much confidence that the contractual dispute between the developer and Bethesda has even been resolved at this point.

The Prey developer did, however, recently release its first free-to-play game for Android—a cartoony tower defense title—to absolutely no fanfare, and Human Head is also trying to get a Rune sequel off the ground."

http://kotaku.com/5948602/a-possible...gaming-secrets

Sad news...

Edit:

Here's a couple of optimistic tweets from Nathan Cheever (Human Head employee):

Prey 2 at QuakeCon 2012! Now that's what I call supporting development! Hmm, I was wrong. http://aol.it/SUyHml (#prey2) (http://twitter.com/NathanCheever/sta...57372563447809)

That's a fantastic idea! Spread the word -- get people to ask Bethesda to show Prey 2 at QuakeCon next month! (http://twitter.com/NathanCheever/sta...91779606839296)

And here's a blog concerning every mention of Prey 2 in the news: http://www.curiousconstructs.com/games/prey2/p2-news/

Sorry for my constant posting about Prey 2, I just think it looks really special and I would love for it to see the light of day.

[crunchy superman]

Sounds more to me like they've either moved on to something else entirely, or are starting Prey2 over. I doubt they'd be looking for concept artists if they were picking right back up where they were.

[Morbid]

Still news of October but somehow official: Prey 2 Is In ‘Limbo,’ Designer Says

[crunchy superman]

Ahem . . .

http://www.aliennoire.com/

[Morbid]

<!-- Tommy needs your help. -->

[Duke's New Chainsaw]

Fan site.

[ScrewingUpMyRide]

Pretty awesome fan site though! I signed the petition:

http://www.aliennoire.com/home/game/petition/

I loved this bit of creative copy, 'Shotgun blast aliens in the face! Drop kick citizens off balconies! Toss credits at green exotic dancers! Help Tommy save Earth from destruction! Help yourself by signing your name and making your voice heard!'

Hopefully folks will direct their anger towards Bethesda for the lack of updates and numerous concerns surrounding this game. The quality issues that Bethesda cited were total nonsense and the reason behind the delay was after the extremely positive reception, Human Head asked for more time to fully realize Prey 2's potential. In other words, they didn't want to be another Hunted or Brink. Bethesda declined and the reason we haven't seen the game since is because while Bethesda own the assets, Human Head owns the renderer and other bits and bobs inside the engine. Bethesda will have to remake the game from scratch or put another team on it to reverse engineer the Preyaditor and Headitor (Human Head's homebrew version of Radiant). Either way, we won't be seeing this game until 2014 at the earliest. Shame Bethesda didn't want to support Human Head. Timothy Gerritsen left Irrational last year to rejoin Human Head as their business dev guy, so there is some good news.

[Nihilanth]

As of yesterday, according to Nathan Cheevar, Prey 2's status is uncertain. Seems to me the game is as good as dead.

[Damien_Azreal]

I don't get that the "game is dead" from that.
Just seems like we're in the same spot we've been in since ZeniMax put the project on hold.

Waiting.

[Nihilanth]

Yep, we're STILL in the same spot which means nothing has been going on for months. But don't get me wrong, I strongly hope we'll get to play it someday.