Prey 2 not dead, just napping, says Human Head developer

The fate of sci-fi shooter sequel Prey 2 was thrown into doubt earlier this year, when reports of a disagreement between developer Human Head and publisher Bethesda emerged. Now, thanks to a tweet from designer Nathan Cheever, we have some further reassurance that the project has avoided the axe.

"Prey 1 = Indians in Space. Prey 2 = Cowboys in Space. (#Prey2). btw, P2 hasn't been officially canceled, only in limbo," twote he.

Well, that's better news than it might have been. But it's still a shame to see such a promising title halted in its tracks. I was lucky enough to see the game's offworld bounty-hunting action at its unveiling early in 2011, and the vertical slice that Human Head had put together was an exhilarating mix of Mirror's Edge-style parkour and frenetic gadget-enhanced gunplay in an open world that was parts Blade Runner and Mos Eisley.

However, publishers Bethesda presumably had a closer look behind the curtain, and weren't quite so impressed, nixing the original 2012 release date while saying "that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards."

Hopefully, pub and dev will hug it out and get back to the business of making an awesome game soon.