Prey is back, and there's a trailer

YouTube

Five years after its announcement, and two years after Bethesda confirmed its cancellation, the company announced at its pre-E3 press conference today that Arkane Studios is in fact working on a brand-new Prey.

The game has changed completely from what we saw back when Human Head was at the helm. It's now a near-future sci-fi FPS, in which you awaken aboard a space station in the year 2032 as the central element of an experiment meant to change the course of human evolution. But the station has been overrun by aliens, and you know what that means.

More will be be revealed in the coming months. For now, enjoy the trailer above.

Update: More was actually revealed immediately following Bethesda's press event, as Prey is now on Steam. The entry doesn't say too much about what's in store, but it does nail down the description a little more precisely, and listed a release date (well, year) of 2017.

"In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever—but things have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile aliens and you are now being hunted. As you dig into the dark secrets of Talos I and your own past, you must survive using the tools found on the station, your wits, weapons, and mind-bending abilities."

It's also come to light that Chris Avellone, who we joked last September will write every RPG ever made in the future, is working on Prey. Word of his participation came from Avellone himself, through his Twitter feed.

They announced that game I'm working on helllllls yesssss#BE3 pic.twitter.com/fjnMNwPQ8MJune 13, 2016

I think it's fair to say that if Chris Avellone is taking part, Prey will likely have a lot more going on than your usual run-and-gun FPS. I'm as disappointed as anyone that our intergalactic bounty hunting adventures aren't going to come to fruition, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what Arkane has in store.

Update 2: Bethesda has released a few screenshots which we've dropped below.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.