Speaking to C.NET, Bethesda Softworks confirmed the cancellation of Prey 2. The cancellation was previously announced in 2011 after the game had endured several years of development hell. However, it seems that Bethesda Softworks has finally pulled the plug on the project. I recall seeing the behind-closed-doors, hands-off demo preview for the game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2011. The presentation was quite exciting and showed a good chunk of the expected game. Unfortunately, it seems like Prey 2 was not meant to be.
Based on the statement from Bethesda’s Pete Hines, the game was not up to the publisher’s “quality standard.” Last year, rumors indicated that Arkane Studios was working on the game.
The interesting scenario and some eye-popping gameplay sequences got me excited about Prey 2. The story was supposed to follow U.S. Marshal Killian Samuels. Samuels is escorting a prisoner aboard the plane that crashes into the Sphere. The plane crash event is actually witnessed firsthand by Domasi “Tommy” Towadi, the protagonist from the first Prey video game. Samuels wakes up in the debris of the crash of the sphere and tries to defend himself against alien soldiers, but he is knocked out. Sometime later, Samuels is stuck on the alien world of Exodus, and he is a decked out alien bounty hunter. Eventually, the story brings Samuels in contact with Tommy from the first game.
The gameplay for Prey 2 looked cool–especially the setting and environment. It basically looked like an urban, alien sci-fi city–unlike anything ever seen before. Exodus appeared to be a completely open-world playground that players would explore. In terms of controls, it appeared that the game would have offered a great amount of freedom of movement. In fact, much of the game looked like it was going to focus on movement and free-running in giving chase to alien bounties on the run from Killian. Alas, it was not in the cards.
If Bethesda’s statements are to be believed, the cancellation of the game is probably for the best. If the project was not working, it is better not to continue wasting time and expense to try and finish it. Titles that spend years languishing in development hell do not always work out well. Case in point: Duke Nukem Forever.
Still, it is fun to look at the videos and trailers that were released for Prey 2 and imagine what could have been. Pete Hines says Bethesda still believes something can be done with the Prey franchise. Based on his statement, if Prey ever does get a follow-up, it will likely be something completely different than what Prey 2 was shaping up to be.
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