Prey 2, that oh so promising open world game that turned heads at E3 2011, leads a charmed un-life. One second it’s cancelled, the next it’s simply in stasis, and the next Bethesda is looking for another developer to take it off the hands of Human Head. It’s uncertain development is fitting seeing as the original’s tortured path to release took eleven years. According to developer Human Head, fans can help bring the game to fruition. All they need to do is start pestering publisher Bethesda.
Human Head designer Nathan Cheever has been communicating with fans about the game on Twitter, hoping to build support for the game since Bethesda’s gone quiet on the title.
“Bethesda’s captain of that ship, so I can’t officially speak for it,” said Cheever at the beginning of December, “I’m not implying anything, only that Bethesda Softworks owns the rights and are the only ones that can legally say anything about Prey 2’s status.” When one fan mentioned that the game seemed fairly far along in development when shown in 2011, Cheever said that was the case. “I agree! It’d be great to get some good news soon.”
“It’s up to Bethesda to decide what to do with it. The best you can do is ask them they’re thinking, like [Bethesda marketing VP] Peter Hines,” said the designer.
Cheever actively discussed the game online back in October as well, explaining that the game is stuck in stasis at the publisher. “P2 hasn’t been officially cancelled, only in limbo,” said Cheever at the time, “If you want to know more about the status of the game, find other ways to contact Bethesda more directly. My impression is they don’t read the Facebook page (for Prey 2) as much as they used to, since your interest has gone unanswered over the past year.”
Bethesda hasn’t discussed the game publicly since April. “Development of Prey 2 has not been cancelled but the game will not be released in 2012 as planned,” said the publisher, “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: Official Xbox Magazine
