‘Dishonored’ studio reportedly takes over ‘Prey 2’ development

By Michael Rougeau Published May 31, 2013

Prey 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Dishonored studio Arkane Austin is reportedly handling development of the long-delayed Prey 2, according to an unnamed source speaking to Kotaku. The word is that the studio scrapped all of the work previously done on the game and started over, with a release now targeted for 2016.

Bethesda forced Arkane Austin to take over on Prey 2 against its will, the source revealed. Those in charge supposedly told dissenters at the studio to just treat it like a new System Shock game – the spiritual predecessor to BioShock and inspiration for Dishonored – and forget that it’s even called Prey 2. It sounds like Dishonored co-director Harvey Smith won’t be involved, however. The tipster suggests that Smith recently moved to Arkane’s other studio in Lyon, France, which is working on a different game.

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Prey 2 began life at developer Human Head and enjoyed a well-received debut at E3 2011, but it was delayed for an unspecified amount of time in 2012. Since then, Fallout developers Obsidian reportedly worked on the game for a few months. Bethesda also tried to get Rogue Warrior studio Rebellion to take over at one point as well, it seems.

Read Kotaku’s full article for a lot more details, and keep in mind that none of this has been confirmed in any official capacity.

Michael Rougeau

Former Contributor

Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…

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The studio behind Deathloop and Dishonored is developing a Blade game

Blade in the announcement trailer for his new game.

Arkane Studios, the Microsoft-owned developer behind games like Deathloop and Redfall, announced Blade at The Game Awards 2023.

Blade features the Marvel hero of the same name. In the reveal trailer, we see a nervous barber struggling with a trembling razer, a flash of Blade's fangs as he puts on his sunglasses, and the ominous message that he's "just getting started." Not much is known about the actual plot or how the gameplay will be structured in the final product.

Gaming

Frostpunk 2 takes notes from Cities: Skylines with its grander scope

A frozen man with Liar written on his chest sits in front of oil rigs in Frostpunk 2.

In the original Frostpunk, the main goal is to survive an icy apocalypse and reestablish civilization around a powerful generator while slowly gathering resources, building structures with them, and dealing with a plethora of ethical questions along the way. It’s a challenging game, but after dozens of hours and several decisions, players have a solid city center that can withstand the apocalypse.
In Frostpunk 2, that’s just the starting point.
Frostpunk 2 | The City Must Not Fall Trailer
Developer 11 Bit Studios recently gave me a presentation of the sandbox “Utopia Builder” mode in Frostpunk 2. During this hands-off demo, I saw how Frostpunk 2 has grown much larger in scale, with players primarily dealing with building entire districts and influencing council votes rather than concerning themselves with gathering tiny amounts of resources and the minutiae of building a small city. That’s a bold approach for a city builder sequel, as they don’t usually change the gameplay this much, but 11 Bit Studios is confident with its large-scale swing. Frostpunk 2 may expand on the original, but it's not throwing away what made the 2018 gem so special.
A true postapocalyptic game
The developer believes Frostpunk 2 is postapocalyptic in the truest sense. While that term was often applied to the original, its developers pointed out in my hands-off preview that the original game technically occurred during an apocalypse and was mainly about surviving it. Meanwhile, this sequel takes place 30 years later and is more interested in challenging players by having them manage a society that’s saved itself and is trying to evolve following an apocalyptic event.

In practice, that means Frostpunk 2’s gameplay lies somewhere between the original’s and that of Cities: Skylines. The hands-off Utopia Builder demo began with a city the size of what players would have built by the end of the first game; this isn’t the entire city, though, just the starting central district. The developers quickly built housing districts on one side of that central hub, pointing out that time in Frostpunk 2 now progresses in weekly increments instead of daily.
They explained how resource management is still a part of the game, but that it also takes place on a more macro level. It’s tied to supply and demand for specific resources that districts can provide. Ultimately, the goal is to create synergies between districts so there’s a constant flow of the resources required to keep your city growing and people happy. That’s easier said than done, though. Frostpunk 2 is still a difficult game that will present complex decisions for players to deal with.
Choices, choices
Challenges were mostly centered around two communities of peoples that populated this “utopia”: the industrial and technical-focused Engineers and the survivalist and adaptive Foragers. As players grow their city, they’ll need to improve it by completing research in the Idea Tree. Each community will present solutions for the player to choose from.
In this demo’s case, the question of “How do we produce more food?” was proposed. The developers chose to side with the Foragers, who wanted to use human waste to create more fertilizer. This one decision had clear consequences throughout the rest of the demo. The Engineers eventually asked if they could chemically treat the sewage to prevent disease, which the developers agreed to, and then learned that children were being used to obtain the biowaste.

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Over 100 PlayStation VR2 games are in development, Sony says

Playstation VR2 headset on a PlayStation-themed wallpaper.

Sony has released a massive FAQ about the PlayStation VR2 on the PlayStation Blog ahead of the headset's February 22 launch. It reveals some key new details about games for the platform, namely that over 100 PS VR2 titles are in development, and that Sony doesn't plan on giving its games physical releases for now.
For the most part, the FAQ is full of basic information about the PlayStation VR2's specs, how to set it up, and what's required to use it. But the Games section of this FAQ reveals quite a few illuminating details about the future of the system. It reiterates that there will be around 30 launch titles for the system, but also reveals just how much is in the works for the headset. In response to the question, "How many games are in development for PS VR 2?" Sony writes, "There are currently more than 100 titles in development for PS VR2."

That's a good sign, as a new, expensive VR headset like this lives or dies on its game lineup. PSVR2's early days might be a bit odd as Horizon Call of the Mountain is one of its only true exclusives -- and it's not backward compatible with PlayStation VR titles (something this FAQ reiterates. However, those picking one up can still know that lots of games are in the works for it.
Another FAQ question asks, "Will PS VR2 games be digital only or will there be physical disc releases?" -- which is sensible to clarify as this headset's predecessor had physical games. "Initially at launch, PS VR2 games will be digital," Sony says. "Physical disc releases for select titles may be available at a future date." So don't hold on to the idea of picking up a physical copy of Horizon Call of the Mountain; you'll be getting PS VR2 games through the PlayStation Store for the time being.
Check out the full FAQ if you have any technical questions about PS VR2's setup and which games it supports. PlayStation VR will be released on February 22.