Rumor: Arkane Studios Now Working on Prey 2

In a rather surprising turn of events, rumors have begun to circulate that Bethesda has handed Prey 2 over to Arkane Studios; the Austin based studio responsible for last years incredible new IP, Dishonored. We have been closely following Prey 2 ever since the game blew us away at E3 2010. Due to unforseen circumstances, the game went dark following reports that the game wasn't living up to Bethesda's quality standards (whatever that means...). 

The rumor doesn't stop there. Bethesda has allegedly not only tasked Arkane with revitalizing the project but they have also asked them to rebuild the game from the ground up using the engine that powered Dishonored. Of course, Bethesda is refusing to comment at this time. The prospect of a studio like Arkane taking over where Human Head left off is exciting but I am nervous about the changes that the game will undergo.

Prey 2 was initially pitched as an open-world, Alien-Noire game with mechanics that seem to combine the best of Mirror's Edge free-running with the gadgets and detective elements of something like Condemned or Arkham. Will the game still be an open-world game when it re-emerges? Will the visual style change to reflect the more stylized look of something like Dishonored?

Alien Noire, the outlet that first reported this rumor seem to be up-in-arms over the development and rightfully so. With that said, I would rather have the game see the light of day than to have it shelved permanently especially at the hands of a talented studio like Arkane... or perhaps i'm biased because I live in Austin. It's hard to say but hopefully Bethesda will eventually confirm (or deny) these rumors so that we can finally have an update on this exciting project. 

[Source: Alien Noire]