When we first saw Prey 2 back at E3 2011, we considered it to be one of the most promising titles at the show. However, over a year has passed since the game’s unveiling, and things aren’t looking too good for the Human Head developed shooter. In fact, Prey 2 has been removed from Bethesda’s product lineup.

Trouble first began for Prey 2 earlier this year, when cancellation rumors started to appear online. Bethesda denied these claims, saying that development was not going as well as hoped, and that the title was merely being delayed to 2013. At the same time, reports came in that Bethesda had pulled developer Human Head off the title after some contractual disagreements. It was not known whether or not Human Head would continue development of the title, or if Bethesda would seek out another studio to continue where Human Head left off.

Unfortunately, the game’s true fate may actually be worse than anticipated. According to DSOGaming, Prey 2 had previously appeared on the “Upcoming Games” page of Bethesda’s website, but (as spotted by NeoGAF user “n8rtot”) now it’s gone. Currently, Bethesda only has The Elder Scrolls: Online, DOOM 3 BFG Edition and Dishonored listed, with Prey 2 nowhere to be found.

While the worst case scenario is that the game has been scrapped, we’re hopeful that this could just be an error on Bethesda’s side. It’s also possible that the listing was removed simply because Prey 2 is taking longer than expected to develop. Another likely scenario is that, with PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox slowly rearing their heads, Bethesda has moved development to next-gen platforms, and can not post a listing for a PS4/Xbox 720 title. Perhaps Bethesda is no longer publishing the game, and is selling the right back to 3D Realms, allowing the game to be taken to another publisher (2K published the original Prey in 2006) - though that’s us being extremely optimistic.

[Update: A Bethesda spokesperson said the following to IGN]

[/Update]

Prey 2 was scheduled to release for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in 2013.

-

Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyMole.

Source: Bethesda