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{{Short description|2017 video game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox video game
{{Infobox video game
| title =
| title = Prey
| image = [[File:Prey 2 text logo Bethedsda.png|frameless|upright=1.1]]
| image = Prey cover art.jpg
| developer = [[Arkane Austin]]
| caption =
| developer = [[Human Head Studios]]
| publisher = [[Bethesda Softworks]]
| publisher = [[Bethesda Softworks]]
| director = [[Raphaël Colantonio]]
| producer = Susan Kath
| distributor =
| designer = Ricardo Bare
| composer = [[Mark Morgan (composer)|Mark Morgan]]<ref name="composers">{{cite web|url=http://www.game-ost.com/news_comments.php?id=1941|title=Mark Morgan and Jason Graves are working on Prey 2|publisher=GameOST|accessdate=September 9, 2011|date=August 6, 2011}}</ref><br />[[Jason Graves]]<ref name="composers" />
| programmer = Stevan Hird
| series =
| writer = {{ubl|Ricardo Bare|[[Chris Avellone]]|Raphaël Colantonio}}
| engine = [[id Tech 4]] (modified)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/18/prey-2-producer-on-taking-new-direction-with-capable-id-tech|title=Prey 2 producer on taking new direction, with 'capable' id Tech 4|publisher=Joystiq|accessdate=April 28, 2011|date=April 18, 2011}}</ref>
| composer = [[Mick Gordon (composer)|Mick Gordon]]<!--Lead composer only, do not add the additional composers here-->
| released =
| engine = [[CryEngine]]<br>[[Unreal Engine 4]] (''Typhon Hunter'')
| genre = [[First-person shooter]]
| platforms = {{Unbulleted list|[[PlayStation 4]]|[[Windows]]|[[Xbox One]]}}
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| released = May 5, 2017
| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[PlayStation 3]], [[Xbox 360]]
| media = [[Optical disc]]
| genre = [[First-person shooter]], [[Immersive sim]]
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
}}
}}
'''''Prey''''' is a 2017 [[first-person shooter]] [[immersive sim]] video game developed by [[Arkane Austin]] and published by [[Bethesda Softworks]]. The game was released for [[PlayStation 4]], [[Windows]], and [[Xbox One]] on May 5, 2017.


''Prey'' takes place in an [[alternate timeline]] in which an accelerated [[Space Race]] resulted in mankind taking to orbital stations far earlier. The player controls Morgan Yu while exploring the space station ''Talos I'', in orbit around Earth–Moon [[Lagrangian point#L2|L<sub>2</sub>]], where they were part of a scientific team researching the Typhon, a hostile alien force composed of many forms with both physical and psychic powers, such as shapeshifting into a clone of any inanimate object. As the Typhon escape confinement, the player uses a variety of weapons and abilities, some of which are derived from the Typhon themselves, to survive while progressing to end the alien outbreak on the station and ultimately escape. The player gradually gains access to areas of ''Talos I'' through linear mission progression - acquiring key items and abilities along the way - eventually allowing the player to explore the station in an [[open world]] setting. The game combines elements of first-person shooters, [[role-playing video game]]s, [[stealth game]]s, and [[Metroidvania]]s in its design.
'''''Prey 2''''' is an upcoming [[first-person shooter]] [[video game]] developed by [[Human Head Studios]] and published by [[Bethesda Softworks]], due for release on [[Microsoft Windows]], [[PlayStation 3]], and [[Xbox 360]]. It is the sequel to the 2006 video game ''[[Prey (video game)|Prey]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/03/14/prey-2-announcement/ | title='Prey 2' Bringing An 'Open, Alien World' For A 2012 Release From Bethesda Softworks | last=Rosenberg | first=Adam | date=March 14, 2011 | publisher=Multiplayerblog.mtv | accessdate=April 20, 2011 }}</ref>

Arkane's ''Prey'' is largely unrelated to the 2006 game ''[[Prey (2006 video game)|Prey]]'' developed by [[Human Head Studios]]. While ''[[Prey 2]]'', a sequel to the 2006 game, had been planned by Human Head, it fell into [[development hell]] following the transfer of the intellectual property from [[3D Realms]] to [[Bethesda Softworks]], and was eventually canceled in 2014. Arkane's game does not use any of the planned sequel's assets and only incorporates the previous game's name and the broad theme of the protagonist being hunted by aliens. Arkane built ''Prey'' as a [[spiritual successor]] to ''[[System Shock]]'', giving players multiple avenues to approach and tackle missions while considering the ''Talos I'' station a thematic reinterpretation of the underground dungeon from their debut game, ''[[Arx Fatalis]]''.

''Prey'' received positive reviews from critics and is considered one of the best games of 2017 by several gaming magazines and websites. Two expansions were released: ''Mooncrash'', a procedurally-generated mode inspired by various [[roguelike]] games, and a multiplayer ''Typhon Hunter'' that incorporates the Typhon shapeshifting abilities in a hide-and-seek style game. Retrospectively, the game has been recognized by several gaming publications as one of the best [[immersive sim]]s released to date.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Prey 2017 gameplay screenshot.jpg|thumb|left|Players can use the gloo cannon to freeze Mimics, stopping them from moving and transforming into daily life objects.]]
''Prey'' is a [[first-person shooter]] [[immersive sim]] with [[Role-playing video game|role-playing]] and [[Stealth game|stealth]] elements set in an [[open world]] environment. The player takes the role of Morgan Yu, a human aboard a space station overrun by the Typhon, a hostile alien race with various differing subspecies. In a play through, Players can customize Morgan’s attributes, such as gender, and make choices that may, or may not, ultimately influence the story. To survive, the player must collect and use weapons, tools, and resources aboard the station to fend off and defeat the Typhon threat.<ref name="polygon jul2016">{{cite web | url = http://www.polygon.com/2016/7/27/12297122/prey-arkane-studios-bethesda-human-head-system-shock-2 | title = The new Prey will not be like the old Prey | first = Thomas | last = Biery | date = July 27, 2016 | access-date= July 27, 2016 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref> For example, ''Recycler Charges'' can be used to break down almost any object into raw materials, which can then be repurposed using the game's [[Crafting (gaming)|crafting system]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2017 |title=Why Prey is my game of the year |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/12/16766432/prey-game-of-the-year-2017}}</ref> The game also features a variation of the [[Skill tree|skill tree system]], enabling players to tailor their playstyle to suit their preferences.<ref name=":0" />

According to creative director [[Raphaël Colantonio]], the station setting of ''Talos I'' is completely continuous rather than having separate levels or missions, at times requiring the player to return to areas they previously explored. Lacking a conventional [[Fast travel|fast travel system]], the player can instead venture outside ''Talos I'' into space and find shortcuts connecting parts of the station.<ref name="eurogamer aug2016">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-08-04-prey-reboot-will-be-a-metroidvania-adventure | title = Prey reboot will be a metroidvania adventure | first = Jeffrey | last = Matulef | date = August 4, 2016 | access-date = August 4, 2016 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref> Colantonio stated that the Typhon aliens have an array of different physical and psychic powers that the player character can gain over time; one such alien, for example, can shapeshift into everyday items, such as a chair or coffee mug.<ref name="eurogamer aug2016" /> The player can acquire the aliens' abilities by using a device called a psychoscope, which is found through mission progression.

''Prey'' has multiple endings, according to lead designer Ricardo Bare; the endings fall into three major narrative structures depending on how the player broadly interacted with the station and surviving humans, but Bare said there are "tons of little permutations" based on specific events.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/prey-will-have-a-wide-variance-of-endings/1100-6447860/ | title = Prey Will Have "A Wide Variance" Of Endings | first = Chris | last = Pereira | date = February 15, 2017 | access-date = February 15, 2017 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref>

===''Mooncrash'' expansion===
The ''Mooncrash'' expansion, released in June 2018, is a separate game mode built atop the setting and gameplay of the base ''Prey'' game. It is a [[roguelike]] mode in which, while the levels of the expansion remain the same, the placement of enemies, weapons, and other items are randomized on each playthrough.

Narratively, the player takes the role of Peter, a hacker aboard a satellite orbiting the Moon, forced by his employer the Kasma Corporation to figure out what happened at the Pytheas Moonbase. Peter does this by running through simulations, in which he takes the place of one of five known survivors of the attack. The player must figure out how each of the five survived through the five various escape routes. This is presented by leading one character through the station, fighting off the Typhon, collecting equipment, hacking terminals, and other actions. If the player can lead that character to safety, they then must lead the other characters, one at a time, through the same game world to find a different escape point, with all of the changes from the previous characters still in place. Players may reset the simulation, randomizing the world elements and effectively starting a new run. However, the player gains credits that they can use within the simulation to improve how any of the characters start, such as with better weapons or additional health packs, and they can permanently unlock skills for each character within future simulation runs by collecting certain objects.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/prey/prey-mooncrash-review | title = Prey - Mooncrash is what a triple-A roguelike should be | first = Jordan | last = Oloman | date = June 20, 2018 | access-date = June 20, 2018 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref>

=== ''Typhon Hunter'' expansion===
The ''Typhon Hunter'' expansion contains two game modes. One is designed as a single-player [[virtual reality]] experience, challenging the player to various [[escape room]] scenarios aboard the ''Talos I'' station. The second is an asymmetrical multiplayer mode for up to six players. One plays as Morgan while the others are Mimic Typhons, which can disguise themselves as nearly any object within the environment. The player as Morgan is challenged to find and kill all the other players within a limited amount of time, while the Mimic players can rearrange items in rooms, disguise themselves, and when the Morgan player is close, jump out and attack them before seeking another hiding place.<ref name="prop hunt">{{cite web | url = https://www.vg247.com/2018/08/14/prey-typhon-hunters-multiplayer-mode-exists-garrys-mod/| title = Prey: Typhon Hunter's multiplayer mode exists because of Garry's Mod | first = Kirk | last = McKeand | date = August 14, 2018 | access-date = August 14, 2018 | work = [[VG247]] }}</ref>


==Plot==
==Plot==
===Setting===
The story of ''Prey 2'' focuses on [[U.S. Marshal]] Killian Samuels, who starts the game on a passenger flight which suddenly crashes onto the Sphere (the crash is shown in the original ''Prey''). At the end of a short battle with some aliens he is knocked unconscious, after which the plot jumps forward several years. Samuels is now a [[bounty hunter]] on the alien world Exodus. Though he is aware of his profession and has retained his skills, he has no memory of what happened in the time that passed since his abduction.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/18/prey-2-preview/ | title = Prey 2 Preview: Alien sequel | accessdate =June 4, 2011}}</ref> He initially believes himself to be the only human on Exodus until he runs into Domasi "Tommy" Tawodi (the protagonist of the original ''Prey''), whom he has apparently met in the period he no longer remembers.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gametrailers.com/video/story-introduction-prey-2/713005 | title = Prey 2 Story Introduction Interview HD | accessdate =June 4, 2011}}</ref> Killian then resumes his bounty hunter activities while recovering his memory.
''Prey'' takes place in an [[alternate history|alternate timeline]] where in 1958 the [[Soviet Union]] encounters a species of [[eusocial]] aliens, called the Typhon, aboard their satellite ''Vorona 1''. The Soviet Union works together with the United States to fight off and capture the aliens, unbeknownst to the general population. Together, they build the space station ''Kletka''{{efn|{{langx|ru|Клетка|italic=yes}} {{lit|Cell}}}} to be used as a prison for the Typhon situated in orbit around the Moon. After [[assassination of John F. Kennedy|a failed assassination attempt]] on United States President [[John F. Kennedy]], the United States wrests full control of the ''Kletka'' satellite from the Soviet Union. Research of the Typhon continues under the name "Project Axiom". After the "Pobeg Incident" in 1980 where some scientists aboard the station lost their lives to the Typhon, the American government shutters Project Axiom, leaving the captive Typhon alive.


By 2025, the newly founded TranStar Corporation acquires ''Kletka'' and by 2030, has refitted it as ''Talos I'', a fully operational research laboratory to study the Typhon and develop advances in neuroscience; this leads to the creation of neuromods that harness the Typhon's physiology to restructure the human brain to grant the user new abilities, including superhuman ones.<ref name="ign setting slideshow">{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/04/these-11-images-reveal-more-about-preys-alternate-history | title = These 11 Images Reveal More About Prey's Alternate History | first = Miranda | last = Sanchez | date = May 4, 2017 | access-date = May 4, 2017 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref> TranStar grows financially successful from sales of neuromods on Earth. At the time of the setting, about 2035, TranStar has further expanded the station to make for suitable living quarters for its staff that spend up to two years on the station between regular shuttles to Earth.<ref name="gi story">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/09/building-preys-interconnected-world.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161210002900/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/09/building-preys-interconnected-world.aspx | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 10, 2016 | title = Building Prey's Interconnected World | first = Jeff | last= Cork | date = September 9, 2016 | access-date = September 9, 2016 | magazine = [[Game Informer]] }}</ref>
==Development==
The sequel to 2006 game ''Prey'' was officially announced on March 14, 2011. "We are thrilled to be working with Bethesda on ''Prey 2''", said [[Chris Rhinehart]], project lead. "''Prey 2'' will provide gamers the opportunity to explore a new facet of the Prey universe, one that offers fast-paced action in an open, alien world. We're excited to show gamers the title we have been working on and hope they will be as excited by this title as we are."<ref>{{cite web|last=Sinicki |first=Joe |url=http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/gaming/gaming-news/prey-2-will-surprise-you/ |title=Prey 2 will surprise you |publisher=Blastmagazine.com |date=February 22, 1999 |accessdate=October 25, 2011}}</ref>


Because of the numerous agencies that operated and expanded ''Talos I'' over the decades, the station includes a large mix of architectural designs, ranging from [[retrofuturism]] that was popular in 1960s America, to [[Brutalist architecture|brutalist]] styles that were common in the Soviet Bloc in the mid-20th century, to opulent [[Art Deco]] put in place by the wealthy TranStar executives.<ref name="gamasutra dungeon">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/297288/Designing_Preys_scifi_space_station_to_be_like_a_megadungeon.php | title = Designing Prey's sci-fi space station to be like a 'mega-dungeon' | first = Roy | last = Graham | date = May 4, 2017 | access-date = May 4, 2017 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170505042453/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/297288/Designing_Preys_scifi_space_station_to_be_like_a_megadungeon.php | archive-date = May 5, 2017 | url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="vg247 alttime">{{cite web | url = http://www.vg247.com/2016/09/09/preys-alternate-timeline-depicts-a-future-where-jfk-lived-to-see-the-space-program-flourish/ | title = Prey's alternate timeline depicts a future where JFK lived to see the space program flourish | first = Stephany | last = Nunneley | date = September 9, 2016 | access-date = September 9, 2016 | work = [[VG247]] }}</ref>
''Prey 2'' was announced once before shortly after the release of ''Prey'', [[3D Realms]]' [[Scott Miller (entrepreneur)|Scott Miller]] confirmed that a sequel named ''Prey 2'' was already in development.<ref>{{cite web |title=Next-Gen People: Scott Miller |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/next-gen-people-scott-miller |work=next-gen.biz |publisher=Edge |date=August 9, 2006 |accessdate=June 3, 2009 }}</ref> On March 17, 2008, Miller's brand-management group [[Radar Group]] was officially launched, along with the announcement that it is managing ''Prey 2'', and that it slated for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The rights were later transferred from Radar to [[Bethesda Softworks]].<ref>[http://www.gamefront.com/bethesda-announces-prey-2-for-pc-ps3-360/ Bethesda Announces Prey 2 for PC, PS3, 360] GameFront, March 14, 2011 (Article by Ron Whitaker)</ref> According to Pete Hines, the vice president of PR and marketing at Bethesda, the current version of the game is what the developers wanted to make and not what has been announced before by the Radar Group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twitter.com/DCDeacon/statuses/47376651176259584 |title=Twitter / Pete Hines: It's worth clarifying that |work=Twitter |accessdate=October 25, 2011}}</ref>


===Synopsis===
On March 23, 2012, Dutch gaming website PS Focus reported a rumour that ''Prey 2'' has been cancelled by [[Zenimax]]. When asked, [[Bethesda Softworks]] reported with no comment regarding the rumour on their Twitter page.<ref>https://twitter.com/#!/jimreilly/status/183303526997426180</ref><ref>[http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/03/26/prey-2-feared-cancelled Prey 2 feared cancelled]</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Dutton |first=Fred |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-23-prey-2-cancelled-report |title=Prey 2 cancelled – report • News • |publisher=Eurogamer.net |date=March 23, 2012 |accessdate=April 9, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://psfocus.nl/2_29318_Prey_2_is_mogelijk_geannuleerd_door_Bethesda.aspx |title=Prey 2 is mogelijk geannuleerd door Bethesda |publisher=PSFocus.nl |accessdate=April 9, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/894214-bethesda-wont-deny-prey-2-cancellation-rumours |title=Bethesda won't deny Prey 2 cancellation rumours |publisher=Metro.co.uk |accessdate=April 9, 2012}}</ref>
In March 2032, Morgan Yu (male voiced by [[Tim Kang]], female voiced by [[Sumalee Montano]])<ref name="BTVA">{{cite web |title=Prey (2017 Video Game) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Prey-2017/ |publisher=Behind the Voice Actors |access-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103165748/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Prey-2017/ |archive-date=November 3, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> is recruited by their brother Alex ([[Benedict Wong]])<ref name="BTVA" /> to join TranStar's research team on ''Talos I''. Before leaving for the station, Morgan takes a series of tests including the [[Trolley problem]] and the [[Rorschach test]]. One of the supervising doctors is attacked by a Typhon during the testing process, and Morgan is knocked out. Morgan wakes up in their apartment and finds that it is a simulated environment. It is 2035 and Morgan has been living on ''Talos I'' for three years. Morgan is contacted by January (voiced by Kang or Montano, depending on the player's chosen gender),<ref name="BTVA" /> an Operator [[artificial intelligence]] that claims to have been built by Morgan. January warns Morgan that the Typhon have broken containment and taken over the station, killing the majority of the crew. It reveals to Morgan that they had been testing neuromods for the past three years, with Morgan continually adding and removing them. While these neuromods allow for instantaneous learning of complex skills and abilities, a side effect of removing a neuromod is that the user loses all memories gained after installation of that neuromod, explaining Morgan's memory loss. January claims that Morgan built it to help destroy ''Talos I'', taking the Typhon and all of its research with it. Alex contacts Morgan and suggests instead building a special Nullwave device that will destroy the Typhon but leave the station intact, citing how their research is too valuable to lose.


Morgan travels through the station and encounters other survivors, with a choice of whether to help them or not. Alex tasks Morgan with scanning the Typhon "Coral" growing around the station and discovers that the Typhon are building some sort of neural network. Their attempts to study the neural network are interrupted when the TranStar [[Board of Directors]] learns of the containment breach and sends a cleanup crew to eliminate both the Typhon and any surviving station crew. After the cleanup crew is dealt with, Alex further analyzes the data and concludes that the Typhon are sending a signal into deep space to summon something. A gargantuan Typhon called the Apex appears and begins to devour ''Talos I''. Morgan is given the choice of to activate the station's self-destruct sequence or build the Nullwave device to defeat the Typhon.
On April 19, 2012, Bethesda stated ''Prey 2'' will not be cancelled, but instead it will not make its scheduled 2012 release. This was because "the game's development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year and the game does not currently meet [their] quality standards.".<ref>{{cite web|last=Cullen|first=Johnny|title=Bethesda: Prey 2 not canned, but it won’t make 2012|url=http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/19/prey-2-not-canned-confirms-bethesda-but-wont-make-2012/|publisher=VG247}}</ref>


If Morgan chooses to activate the Nullwave device, all of the Typhon on ''Talos I'' are destroyed and the station is left intact. If Morgan chooses to activate the self-destruct, the entire station explodes, destroying all of the Typhon with it. Morgan either finds a way to escape the station or is stranded and dies in the explosion, based on earlier choices in the game.
On August 20, 2012 the game was removed from the products page on Bethesda's website. A spokesperson from Bethesda informed Eurogamer that until they're ready to talk about the game more, the focus on the site is on their upcoming titles.<ref>{{cite web|last=Purchese|first=Robert|title=Why Prey 2 was removed from Bethesda's website|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-08-20-why-prey-2-was-removed-from-bethesdas-website|publisher=Eurogamer}}</ref>


In a [[post-credits scene]], Morgan wakes up in a lab and learns that it is not the real Morgan, but instead, a captured Typhon implanted with Morgan's memories in an effort to teach it human emotions and empathy. The Typhon have invaded Earth; Alex and his Operator assistants judge "Morgan" based on the choices it made throughout the game. If "Morgan" failed to show human empathy, Alex destroys it and starts the experiment over. If "Morgan" did show human empathy, Alex lets it go, whereupon it can choose to accept his offer to bring peace between the Typhon and humanity or kill him.
In early 2013, many shopping sites, such as the [[Target Corporation]], [[Walmart]] and [[Amazon.com]], released pre-order copies of ''Prey 2'' with a release date being December 31, 2013. This has, however, not been confirmed by [[Bethesda Softworks]] or [[Human Head Studios]].<ref>http://pixelimperfect.com/2013/02/07/prey-2-release-date/</ref>


====''Mooncrash''====
In May 2013 [[Kotaku]] reported rumors that development has moved to [[Arkane Studios]] and that the development has been rebooted scrapping all of [[Human Head Studios]] work and with a targeted release of 2016. It has also been reported that [[Obsidian Entertainment]] worked on the game at one point for at least a few months.<ref>http://kotaku.com/we-hear-the-people-behind-dishonored-are-now-working-on-510646344</ref>
In 2036, Peter is stationed in a remote satellite orbiting the Moon and is forced under contract by the Kasma Corporation, a rival to TranStar, to undergo numerous simulations reliving a Typhon outbreak on Transtar's Pytheas Moon Base. As he completes his assigned tasks, his handler Basilisk warns him that Kasma will betray him once his mission is complete and helps him make preparations to escape. When Peter fulfills his contract, Kasma congratulates him but claims that due to tight budgets, they cannot retrieve him from the satellite and shut off its life support. With help from Basilisk, Peter overrides the satellite's controls and crashes it near the real Pytheas facility, where he commandeers a shuttle and returns to Earth. In a post-credits scene, it is revealed that a Mimic has stowed away on Peter's shuttle.


== Development ==
In August 2013 Bethesda Softworks' Pete Hines denied rumors that Arkane Studios was working on the game.<ref>http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/08/02/bethesda-talks-prey-2-denies-arkane-involvement/</ref>
=== Intellectual property transition ===
{{See also|Prey 2}}
The success of the original ''Prey'' led to the announcement of a sequel ''Prey 2'' in August 2006, with continued development by [[3D Realms]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Next-Gen People: Scott Miller |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/next-gen-people-scott-miller |work=next-gen.biz |publisher=Edge |date=August 9, 2006 |access-date=June 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815201206/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/next-gen-people-scott-miller |archive-date=August 15, 2011 }}</ref> However, the project faced numerous issues, including the transfer of the intellectual property (IP) rights to [[Bethesda Softworks]] (under [[ZeniMax Media]]) by 2011. In March 2011, Bethesda announced that ''Prey 2'' would instead be developed by [[Human Head Studios]] using a modified [[id Tech 4]] engine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/18/prey-2-producer-on-taking-new-direction-with-capable-id-tech|first= Jonathan |last=D Deesing|title=Prey 2 producer on taking new direction, with 'capable' id Tech 4|work=[[Joystiq]]|publisher=Engadget|date=April 18, 2011|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/03/14/prey-2-announcement/ | title='Prey 2' Bringing An 'Open, Alien World' For A 2012 Release From Bethesda Softworks | last=Rosenberg | first=Adam | date=March 14, 2011 | publisher=Multiplayerblog.mtv | access-date=April 20, 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031081809/http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/03/14/prey-2-announcement/ | archive-date=October 31, 2014 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

On May 31, 2013, ''[[Kotaku]]'' reported rumors that development had moved to [[Arkane Studios]] and that the development had been rebooted, scrapping all of Human Head Studios' work on ''Prey 2'' with a targeted release of 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/we-hear-the-people-behind-dishonored-are-now-working-on-510646344|title=We Hear The People Behind Dishonored Are Now Working On Prey 2|first=Jason|last=Schreier|author-link=Jason Schreier|work=[[Kotaku]]|date=May 31, 2013|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref> After about a year of further rumors, Bethesda cancelled ''Prey 2''. Arkane had started working on a ''Prey'' game that would be considered a reboot rather than a sequel, using none of the ''Prey'' concepts and none of Human Head's previous development.<ref name="gamespot quakecon"/>

On June 12, 2016, Bethesda announced the ''Prey'' reboot at its E3 press conference. Development was led by Arkane Studios CEO and director Raphaël Colantonio and his team in [[Austin, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vg247.com/2016/06/13/e3-2016-prey-re-revealed/|title=Prey coming 2017 from Dishonored dev's Austin studio|first=James|last=O'Conner|work=[[VG247]]|date=June 13, 2016|access-date=June 13, 2016}}</ref> The new ''Prey'' is not a true sequel but instead "a re-imagining of the IP", according to Colantonio.<ref name="gamespot prey e32016">{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/prey-revealed-at-e3-2016-not-a-sequel-or-remake-up/1100-6440736/ | title = Prey Revealed at E3 2016, Not a Sequel or Remake | first = Chris | last = Pereira | date = June 12, 2016 | access-date = June 13, 2016 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref> The teaser trailer shown during E3 2016 showed the protagonist in something like "a space horror version of ''[[Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day]]''", according to [[CNET]]'s Seamus Byrne.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.cnet.com/news/quake-prey-dishonored-2-fallout-vr-elder-scrolls-bethesda-e3-2016/ | title = Quake Champions, a new Prey and Fallout 4 VR: Everything Bethesda announced at E3 2016 | first = Seamus | last = Byrne | date = June 13, 2016 | access-date = June 13, 2016 | work = [[CNet]] }}</ref> Bethesda's vice president of marketing Pete Hines explained that the new game has no elements from the cancelled ''Prey 2'' outside of the player facing against aliens.<ref name="gamespot announce"/> Colantonio said in later interviews that calling their game ''Prey'' was a "non negotiable compromise" with Bethesda, a decision that no one on the Arkane team was pleased with. Colantonio said it felt bad to lie that they were continuing the ''Prey'' series, and was an insult to Human Head, the developers of the original ''Prey''.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.eurogamer.net/arkane-really-didnt-want-to-call-prey-2017-prey | title=Arkane really didn't want to call Prey (2017) 'Prey' | newspaper=Eurogamer.net | date=August 31, 2022 }}</ref> He expressed that it was a "sales mistake" that would turn away fans of the original ''Prey'' and fail to attract other players.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Andy Chalk published |date=August 31, 2022 |title=Bethesda forced Arkane to call its game Prey, which studio founder says was 'very, very hurtful' |language=en |work=PC Gamer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/bethesda-forced-arkane-to-call-its-game-prey-which-studio-founder-says-was-very-very-hurtful/ |access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>

=== Gameplay design ===
''Prey'' came out of Arkane Studios' own ideas; as explained by Colantonio, they split their team to work on two projects after completing work on ''[[Dishonored]]''. One project was ''[[Dishonored 2]]'' and the other was a new intellectual property based on similar gameplay ideas which would be "in first-person, with depth and simulation and narration".<ref name="gamespot quakecon">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/prey-dev-explains-why-its-named-after-an-unrelated/1100-6442447/ | title = Prey Dev Explains Why It's Named After an Unrelated Series | first = Chris | last = Pereria | date = August 8, 2016 | access-date = August 8, 2016 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref> According to lead designer Ricardo Bare, Colantonio had suggested they look back towards what they had done with ''[[Arx Fatalis]]'', a fantasy title produced by Arkane in 2002 which featured "this big, inter-connected dungeon that the player could roam so long as they could unlock everything".<ref name="pcgamesn bare">{{Cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/prey/prey-builds-characters-turret-lord | title= Prey's origins in Arx Fatalis and the legend of the Turret Lord with lead designer Ricardo Bare | first = Ben | last = Barrett | date = March 17, 2017 | access-date = March 17, 2017 | work =[[PCGamesN]] }}</ref> They took this "mega-dungeon" concept, but set it as a space station filled with hostile aliens, and would require the player to consider the "full ecology" of the game world to overcome obstacles.<ref name="gamespot quakecon"/><ref name="gamasutra dungeon"/> They did not want the player to solve singular-solution puzzles, such as simply finding a key for a locked door, but instead "think of this as a living, dynamic world, where there are tons of solutions possible", according to Bare.<ref name="gamasutra dungeon"/>

As Arkane started developing this concept, they recognized the similarities to the original ''Prey''. Realizing that coming up with a name for a new property can be difficult and that through Bethesda that they would have the ability to use that name, they chose the name ''Prey''.<ref name="gamespot quakecon"/> Hines explained that Arkane evaluated the ''Prey'' property to its core and built up a new game around it, calling it more a psychological game rather than a horror one.<ref name="gamespot announce">{{Cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-prey-has-nothing-to-do-with-cancelled-prey-2-b/1100-6440943/ | title = New Prey Has Nothing to Do With Cancelled Prey 2, Bethesda Head Says | first = Mat | last= Paget | date = June 15, 2016 | access-date = June 15, 2016 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref> In a 2021 making-of documentary created by [[Noclip]], Colantonio and Bare said that, while the project never had any other official name, the title ''Prey'' was a direct mandate from Bethesda. Colantonio referred to it as a "compromise" for the team's creative freedom, saying that the game "had to be ''Prey'' somehow" and that the name "was not necessarily [...] the best choice we wanted back then", while Bare recalled that "The Bethesda group was like, 'we have this name ''Prey'', can you please use it?'"<ref name="PreyMandate">{{cite AV media |date=September 15, 2021 |title=The Making of Prey - Documentary |type=Motion picture |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXLxaKrcFZ0 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |time=4:21–5:18 |via=YouTube |publisher=[[Noclip]]}}</ref>

According to design documents from early in the project's history published by ''[[Kotaku]]'', the game was developed at Arkane under the name "Project Danielle".<ref name="Kotaku">{{cite web | url = http://kotaku.com/old-leaked-design-documents-show-what-prey-couldve-been-1795295577 | title = Old Leaked Design Documents Show What Prey Could've Been | first = Jason | last = Schreier | author-link = Jason Schreier | date = May 17, 2017 | access-date = May 19, 2017 | work = [[Kotaku]] }}</ref> This was later confirmed by Bare, who added that the name was "a little bit of an homage to [[SHODAN]]" from ''[[System Shock]]''.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=September 15, 2021 |title=The Making of Prey - Documentary |type=Motion picture |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXLxaKrcFZ0 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |time=4:55 |via=YouTube |publisher=[[Noclip]] |quote=It was like a secret code name. Like I think it was Project Danielle, which was like a little bit of an homage to Shodan.}}</ref> Three different concepts were presented, all based on the nature of ''System Shock'' and involving the player-character named Danielle Sho to find that there was a false reality in their apparent world and dealing with an [[artificial intelligence]] that has a significant influence on events; these settings included a futuristic lab set on Earth set just prior to the ''System Shock'' time frame, a secret lab on a remote island, and a retro-futuristic setting. ''Kotaku'' observed that this final setting was closest to what the released ''Prey'' looked like.<ref name="Kotaku" />

''Prey'' incorporates numerous gameplay concepts from ''Dishonored'', which was itself inspired by the [[Looking Glass Studios]]' games ''[[Thief: The Dark Project]]'' and ''System Shock'', where players are encouraged to find creative solutions to overcome obstacles.<ref name="gi dishonored">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/28/arkane-knowledge-five-reasons-dishonored-fans-will-love-prey.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161229050921/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/28/arkane-knowledge-five-reasons-dishonored-fans-will-love-prey.aspx | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 29, 2016 | title = Arkane Knowledge: Five Reasons Dishonored Fans Will Love Prey | first = Ben | last= Reeves | date = December 28, 2016 | access-date = December 29, 2016 | magazine = [[Game Informer]] }}</ref> Borrowed elements from ''Dishonored'' include giving the player enough agency to determine how they want to proceed, having in-game consequences for certain actions taken by the player, developing a game world based on pre-established lore that can be learned by examining notes and computer terminals throughout the station, and a simple user interface.<ref name="gi dishonored"/> However, Colantonio said that ''Prey'' would be less focused on stealth as ''Dishonored'' was, and would provide a more [[role-playing video game]]-style improvement system through in-game chipsets that allows the player to customize their abilities for more tactical fast-paced action sequences in contrast to ''Dishonored''{{'}}s bone charm system.<ref name="gi dishonored"/> While ''Prey'' has been likened to a Metroidvania, Bare has said that he was not familiar with the sub-genre and that ''Prey''{{'}}s world design follows in the footsteps of games such as ''System Shock'' and Arkane's own ''Arx Fatalis'', which featured interconnected worlds where to make progress, obstacles had been overcome through abilities the player could acquire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/calling-bethesdas-prey-a-metroidvania-is-a-tiny-bit-misleading/|website=USgamer|title=Calling Bethesda's Prey a Metroidvania is a Tiny Bit Misleading|first=Kat|last=Bailey|date=April 13, 2017|access-date=December 13, 2017|archive-date=April 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414225146/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/calling-bethesdas-prey-a-metroidvania-is-a-tiny-bit-misleading/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bare considered the ''Talos I'' setting to be "like an [[open world]]" that is fully explorable as the player gained abilities and equipment.<ref name="glixel talos"/> However, according to Colantonio, calling it an open world "might have the wrong associations."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/prey-is-metroidvania-in-a-skyscraper-floating-in-space/|website=GamesRadar+|title=Prey is Metroidvania in a "skyscraper floating in space"|first=Leon|last=Hurley|date=August 5, 2016}}</ref> The developers also took inspiration from ''[[FTL: Faster Than Light]]'', considering the complexities of the various gameplay systems and how fast that a situation can go wrong if the player did not sufficiently plan. Bare said they wanted to include that "chaos of systems", and keeping in mind that ''Talos I'' is a functioning space station, populated the station with various hazards like gas pipes and oil spills that can be both an aid to the players in defeating the Typhon or a cause of [[unforeseen consequence]]s if the player is not careful.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/13/15290658/prey-video-preview | title = Watch an hour of new Prey footage | first= Arthur | last= Gies | date = April 13, 2017 | access-date = May 10, 2017 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref> Arkane had considered including [[procedural generation]] within the main campaign, so that different areas may have different hazards when the player encountered them, but they recognized that this would become a point of frustration for a single-player game that may cause players to leave the game uncompleted. They dropped this approach and instead worked the procedural generation aspects into the [[downloadable content]] ''Mooncrash'', which takes place outside the main game's campaign.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/08/11/prey-mooncrashs-randomized-levels-were-almost-part-of-the-base-game | title = Prey: Mooncrash's Randomized Levels Were Almost Part Of The Base Game | first= Tom | last = Marks | date = August 11, 2018 | access-date = August 11, 2018 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref>

[[Emergent gameplay]] was a goal of Arkane: while they had given the players abilities to take on ''Prey'' in a full action mode or full stealth mode, they wanted players to find a way to complete the game in their own manner.<ref name="pcgamesn bare"/> They recognized players may take one specific set of skills and weapons and avoided including any enemies or obstacles that would be impossible to surpass because they did not specialize in the right skills, providing a means to bypass such areas.<ref name="pcgamesn bare"/> Arkane restricted how many horror elements they would include, since they could not predict where the player's attention would be, providing another reason why they opted not to consider ''Prey'' a horror game.<ref name="pcgamesn bare"/> Some elements supporting emergent gameplay arose during testing of the game's various systems. One of the Typhon aliens, the Mimic, was inspired by the [[Mimic (Dungeons & Dragons)|creature of the same name]] from ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', and was programmed to take the form of any object smaller than itself in the room, avoiding the use of scripted events and allowing the alien's [[Artificial intelligence (video games)|artificial intelligence]] to decide what to replicate.<ref name="pcgamesn bare"/> Separately, one of the tools developed by Arkane was the psychoscope, which allows players to scan an alien and learn and then use its powers; when the programmers learned of this, they quickly found that having players be able to copy the Mimic's power created a depth of new gameplay options, such as taking the form of a small object to sneak into small places or taking the form of a non-flammable object to roll through fire-laden areas.<ref name="pcgamesn bare"/> Enabling emergent gameplay in ''Prey'' allowed for [[speedrun]]ners to take advantage of the game's tools, particularly the Gloo Cannon that can create platforms on surfaces to access areas Arkane did not intend to be accessed without other tools.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/09/bethesda-prey-speedrun-gloo-cannon/ | title = Speedrunners have already torn 'Prey' apart | first= Nick | last= Summers | date = May 9, 2017 | access-date = May 10, 2017 | work = [[Engadget]] }}</ref>

=== Story and art ===
[[File:JFK limousine.png|thumb|One of the points of divergence in ''Prey''{{'}}s [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]] is the failed [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]].]]

The narrative concept for ''Prey'' came to Colantonio during one of his airline flights while on travel; on return, he started to engage with the Austin studio to flesh out the ideas for the narrative, design, and gameplay, looking to build as detailed a world as they had for the city of Dunwall used as the setting for ''Dishonored''.<ref name="bethblog story">{{cite web | url = https://bethesda.net/en/article/3QUOVPanDO4gOSKiQCgW8K/crafting-the-story-of-prey | title = Crafting the Story of Prey | first = Gary | last = Steinman | date = April 25, 2017 | access-date = May 9, 2017 | website = [[Bethesda Softworks]] }}</ref><ref name="pcgamesn bare"/> Colantonio said that it took about a year from this initial concept to come up with an alternate timeline that helped support this detailing.<ref name="bethblog story"/> They considered how the future would have been different if [[John F. Kennedy]] survived the [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination attempt]], allowing them to flesh out the narrative and design of the space station.<ref name="pcgamesn bare"/> This itself directly attributed to the styles used in the various parts of the station, with the team considering what architecture would have influenced those most responsible for operating ''Talos I'' at the time. This ranged from considering what Kennedy would have seen frequently were he alive in the 1960s and 1970s, to envisioning how those funding contemporary [[Commercial use of space|commercial space efforts]] like [[Elon Musk]] or Google would style a space station.<ref name="gamasutra dungeon"/> As ''Talos I'' is a relatively small space, Arkane was able to detail the station in depth to make the world more cohesive, such as naming and fleshing out background stories for each [[non-player character]] (NPC), including those already dead by the story's beginning.<ref name="daily dot"/>

The narrative directed them to the types of weapons that would be available to the player. Arkane recognized that as a research station, their security forces would only likely have common weapons, such as pistols and shotguns, and would not have the equivalent of super-powerful gear like ''Doom''{{'}}s [[BFG (weapon)|BFG]]. What advanced weapons are available were designed to look like prototypes and have flaws associated with them being only in their testing phase.<ref name="gamasutra dungeon"/>

[[File:Chris Avellone.jpg|thumb|left|Avellone wrote and designed significant parts of ''Prey''{{'}}s content.]]

Arkane's [[Harvey Smith (game designer)|Harvey Smith]] is credited with establishing the Typhon and the reason for their existence in the story.<ref name="bethblog story"/> The player, as Morgan, follows in the threat's wake, finding survivors who have no idea what just happened but need their help.<ref name="glixel talos">{{cite web | url = http://www.glixel.com/news/explore-the-spaced-out-setting-for-alien-adventure-prey-w477649 | title = Explore the Spaced Out Setting for Alien Adventure 'Prey' | first = Rachel | last = Weber | date = April 19, 2017 | access-date = May 5, 2017 | work = [[Glixel]] | archive-date = April 23, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170423090253/http://www.glixel.com/news/explore-the-spaced-out-setting-for-alien-adventure-prey-w477649 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Arkane wanted a more unique design to the aliens, and opted to use designs inspired by [[paranormal]] elements rather than stereotypical insect- or lizard-like species.<ref name="daily dot">{{cite web | url = https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/prey-arkane-studios-interview/ | title = Unraveling the story of Arkane Studios' mysterious shooter, Prey | first = AJ | last = Moser | date = May 4, 2017 | access-date = May 5, 2017 | work = [[Daily Dot]] }}</ref>

[[Austin Grossman]], also of Arkane, helped establish the early plot details with Morgan's awakening at the start.<ref name="bethblog story"/> Bare had reached out to [[Chris Avellone]] circa 2013 to gain his help with the story, though at the time, Avellone was committed to other projects but wanted to work with the studio. Once Avellone was able to, he contacted Arkane to offer his help on the narrative.<ref name="bethblog story"/> Besides other parts of the narrative, Avellone was responsible for designing the NPCs and the various missions that would involve these characters. Avellone felt these characters and their missions created dilemmas for the player to determine how to proceed, helping the player to define their version of Morgan as well as expanding on the game universe.<ref name="bethblog story"/> Avellone worked with Arkane on the story from June to about November 2016.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/e3/2016/6/13/11919114/chris-avellone-prey-2-bethesda-arkane-studios | title = Ex-Obsidian chief creative officer Chris Avellone is working on the new Prey | first = Michael | last = McWhertor | date = June 13, 2016 | access-date = May 9, 2017 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/prey/prey-chris-avellone | title = Chris Avellone says he's "been wrapped up with Prey for a while now" | first = Kirk | last= McKeand |date = November 22, 2016 | access-date = May 9, 2017 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref>

Among other works, ''Prey'' was influenced by the films ''[[Moon (2009 film)|Moon]]'', ''[[Starship Troopers (film)|Starship Troopers]]'', and ''[[The Matrix (1999 film)|The Matrix]]''. As part of the promotion, Bethesda partnered with the [[Alamo Drafthouse]] to show these three films during April 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2017/03/24/bethesda-partners-with-alamo-drafthouse-for-films-that-inspired-prey/ | title = Bethesda partners with Alamo Drafthouse to show 'The Matrix' and other films that inspired Prey | first = Jeff | last =Grubb | date = March 24, 2017 | access-date = March 24, 2017 | work = [[Venture Beat]] }}</ref> Avellone also cited ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' as part of his inspiration, describing it as an action-suspense film which has moments of comedy, even amid heavy action sequences, and something he reused in writing for ''Prey''.<ref name="bethblog story"/>

The original score was composed and produced by [[Mick Gordon (composer)|Mick Gordon]], who had previously composed the soundtrack for ''[[Doom (2016 video game)|Doom]]''. Additional music was composed by Ben Crossbones, Matt Piersall, and Colantonio, with each one providing a single track. The soundtrack was released for live-streaming music services a week before the game's release.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/listen-to-preys-eerie-and-atmospheric-soundtrack-r/1100-6449748/| title = Listen To Prey's Eerie And Atmospheric Soundtrack Right Now | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = May 2, 2017 | access-date = May 2, 2017 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref>

=== Technical development ===
Prior to ''Prey'', Arkane had just released ''[[Dishonored 2]]'' which used the studio's internally developed Void [[game engine]]. At release, many players reported performance problems with the Windows version, which Arkane fixed through patches, but led to some lingering doubts as to Arkane's ability to develop for the Windows platform. Colantonio said that Arkane wanted to remove that stigma for ''Prey'', with the goal to produce a "really flawless" version for Windows on release.<ref name="pcgamer flawless">{{cite web | url = http://www.pcgamer.com/arkane-says-prey-will-be-flawless-on-pc-at-launch/|title=Arkane says Prey will be "flawless" on PC at launch | first = Andy | last = Chalk | date = January 2, 2017 | access-date = January 2, 2017 | magazine = [[PC Gamer]]|publisher=[[Future US]] }}</ref> The game was developed using [[CryEngine]], an established third-party game engine, eliminating many issues related to performance. Colantonio said that they "doubled our thoroughness" in the areas of [[quality assurance]] testing to eliminate other possible issues.<ref name="pcgamer flawless"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/we-doubled-our-thoroughness-prey-dev-says-after-di/1100-6449714/ | title = "We Doubled Our Thoroughness," Prey Dev Says After Dishonored 2's PC Issues | first = Eddie | last = Makuch | date = May 1, 2017 | access-date = May 3, 2017 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref>

=== Expansions ===
During the [[Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018]], Bethesda announced a free update released on June 9, 2018, that added two new game modes to ''Prey'', including a [[New Game Plus]] mode, and a Survival mode that adds modifiers, such as weapon durability, that make it more difficult. Bethesda announced the first downloadable content, ''Mooncrash'', which is a [[procedural generation|procedurally generated]] adventure that was available that day. They announced plans to release a multiplayer ''Typhon Hunt'' mode, where some players play as Typhon Mimics that can disguise themselves.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://kotaku.com/preys-dlc-is-called-mooncrash-infinitely-replayable-1826717511 | title = Prey's DLC Is Called Mooncrash, 'Infinitely Replayable' | first= Riley | last =McCloud | date = June 10, 2018 | access-date = June 10, 2018 | work = [[Kotaku]] }}</ref> The ''Typhon Hunt'' mode was inspired by the "Prop Hunt" mode that came about from ''[[Garry's Mod]]''; as Arkane started to show initial details of the main game, including the Mimic enemies, players responded that they were reminded of "Prop Hunt". Bare had not been aware of what that was, but after researching it, felt it was ideal for a multiplayer extension of ''Prey''.<ref name="prop hunt"/> Both ''Mooncrash'' and ''Typhon Hunt'' were modes prototyped within an internal [[game jam]] following the release of ''Prey'', looking to see how they could easily extend the game.<ref name="prop hunt"/>

The ''Mooncrash'' expansion was further updated in September 2018 with a free patch that provided in-game customization skins that celebrated the team's favorite roguelike games, which included ''[[Spelunky]]'', ''[[Rogue Legacy]]'', ''[[Risk of Rain]]'', ''[[Don't Starve]]'', ''[[Darkest Dungeon]]'', and ''[[Dead Cells]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.destructoid.com/prey-mooncrash-update-adds-roguelike-skin-homages-521363.phtml | title = Prey: Mooncrash update adds roguelike skin homages | first = Chris | last = Carter | date = September 5, 2018 | access-date = September 5, 2018 | work = [[Destructoid]] | archive-date = November 9, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032923/https://www.destructoid.com/prey-mooncrash-update-adds-roguelike-skin-homages-521363.phtml | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The ''Typhon Hunt'' mode was released on December 11, 2018, along with a [[virtual reality]]-based [[escape the room]] set of puzzles set before the events of ''Prey''. Both modes were released as free additions to ''Mooncrash''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/12/06/prey-multiplayer-and-vr-free-next-week/ | title = Prey: Mooncrash adds free paranoid multiplayer and VR escape rooms next week | first =Dominic | last = Tarason | date = December 6, 2018 | access-date = December 6, 2018 | work = [[Rock Paper Shotgun]] }}</ref>

==Release and marketing==
''Prey'' was released on May 5, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2017/01/25/prey-will-bring-you-more-aliens-to-slaughter-on-may-5/| title = Prey will bring you more aliens to slaughter on May 5 | first = Dean | last = Takahashi | date = January 25, 2017 | access-date = January 25, 2017 | work = [[Venture Beat]] }}</ref> Arkane and Bethesda provided a [[game demo]] for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles about a week before the launch, covering about the first hour of gameplay. The studio did not opt to provide a demo for Windows systems, citing that they had to choose between either the consoles or personal computer for demo release. Colantonio said that with the release through [[Steam (service)|Steam]], interested players can try the game for up to two hours under Steam's return policy, effectively treating this as the equivalent of a demo.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ausgamers.com/news/read/3574291/preys-raph-colantonio-says-steams-2-hour-refund-policy-stands-in-place-of-demo | title = Prey's Raph Colantonio Says Steam's 2 Hour Refund Policy Stands in Place of Demo | author = Joaby | date = May 3, 2017 | access-date = May 3, 2017 | work = [[AusGamers]] }}</ref> The Steam version eventually received a demo in August 2017, which included roughly the first hour of gameplay.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chalk |first1=Andy |title=A free Prey demo is now available on Steam |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/a-free-trial-version-of-prey-is-now-available-on-steam/ |website=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818121501/https://www.pcgamer.com/a-free-trial-version-of-prey-is-now-available-on-steam/ |archive-date=August 18, 2017 |date=August 16, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Technical issues===
''[[PCGamesN]]'' reported that the Windows version of ''Prey'' lacked the technical problems of ''Dishonored 2'', calling it "the best performing [[AAA (video game industry)|triple-A]] game" they had seen in several months.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/prey/prey-pc-performance-graphics-tech-review | title = Prey PC graphics, performance and 4K analysis - the PCGamesN tech review | first = Matt | last = Perslow | date = May 4, 2017 | access-date = May 4, 2017 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref> ''[[Eurogamer]]''{{'}}s Digital Foundry found the computer version of ''Prey'' to run exceedingly well across even low-end computers, in contrast to problems it saw for ''Dishonored 2'' at release.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-prey-runs-beautifully-on-pc | title = Prey PC: even a budget rig can hit 1080p60 | first = David | last = Berton | date = May 11, 2017 | access-date = May 11, 2017 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref>

However, some reviewers and players found that after several hours of playing on the computer version, their saved games would become corrupted, and the game would crash when transitioning between areas once this started to occur. Restoring from older saves would eventually cause those to be corrupted as well, making the game impossible to complete.<ref name="BugFixPromise">{{cite web | url = http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/09/prey-bethesda-aiming-to-have-a-patch-to-fix-game-breaking-bugs-this-week | title = Prey: Bethesda Aiming to Have a Patch to Fix Game-Breaking Bugs 'This Week' | first = Jonathan | last = Dornbrush | date = May 10, 2017 | access-date = May 11, 2017 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref> A Bethesda representative said that Arkane was "working diligently on a fix" that would be released sometime that week;<ref name="BugFixPromise" /> the patch was deployed the following day.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dornbush |first1=Jonathon |title=Prey's Patch is Out of Beta, Fixes Game-Breaking Bugs on PC |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/12/preys-patch-is-out-of-beta-fixes-game-breaking-bugs-on-pc |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512015009/https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/12/preys-patch-is-out-of-beta-fixes-game-breaking-bugs-on-pc |archive-date=May 12, 2017 |date=May 11, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Trademark dispute===
Just prior to release, No Matter Studios, the developers of an upcoming video game ''Prey for the Gods'', announced that, due to trademark objections from ZeniMax Media, they had to change the name of their game to ''[[Praey for the Gods]]''. ZeniMax reported that they had to defend the ''Prey'' trademark to avoid losing it in taking objection to No Matter's trademark filing.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/3/15534924/prey-for-the-gods-praey-for-the-gods-trademark-name-change | title = Prey for the Gods changes name to avoid fight with Bethesda's Prey | first = Allegra | last = Frank | date = May 3, 2017 | access-date =May 8, 2017 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/8/15572464/zenimax-bethesda-prey-for-the-dead-trademark | title= ZeniMax has to protect Prey, even if it looks like a bully while doing so | first = John | last = Warren | date = May 8, 2017 | access-date = May 8, 2017 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref>

== Reception ==
=== Critical reception ===
{{Video game reviews
| MC = (PC) 82/100<ref name="MCPC">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/prey/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Prey for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref><br />(PS4) 79/100<ref name="MCPS4">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/prey/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4 |title=Prey for PlayStation 4 Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref><br />(XONE) 84/100<ref name="MCXONE">{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/prey/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one |title=Prey for Xbox One Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref>
| Destruct = 8/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Makedonski |first=Brett |date=May 15, 2017 |url=https://www.destructoid.com/review-prey-435993.phtml |title=Review: Prey |website=[[Destructoid]] |access-date=May 15, 2017 |archive-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520070255/https://www.destructoid.com/review-prey-435993.phtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| EGM = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Plessas |first=Nick |date=May 11, 2017 |url=http://www.egmnow.com/articles/reviews/prey-review/ |title=Prey review |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly|EGMNow]] |access-date=May 11, 2017}}</ref>
| GI = 8.25/10<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gwaltney |first=Javy |date=May 6, 2017 |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/games/prey/b/playstation4/archive/2017/05/06/somewhere-beyond-the-stars.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507075519/http://www.gameinformer.com/games/prey/b/playstation4/archive/2017/05/06/somewhere-beyond-the-stars.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 7, 2017 |title=Somewhere Beyond The Stars - Prey - PlayStation 4 |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |access-date=May 6, 2017}}</ref>
| GameRev = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Kozanitis |first=James |date=May 8, 2017 |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/prey-2016 |title=Prey (2017) Review |publisher=[[Game Revolution]] |access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref>
| GSpot = 6/10<ref name="gamespot.com">{{cite web |last=Hussain |first=Tamoor |date=May 11, 2017 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/prey-review/1900-6416678/ |title=Prey Review |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=May 11, 2017}}</ref>
| GRadar = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Delahunty-Light |first=Zoe |date=May 11, 2017 |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/prey-2017-review/ |title=Prey review 'A playground for creativity where you control the variables' |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |access-date=May 11, 2017}}</ref>
| IGN = 8/10<ref name="ignrev">{{cite web |last=Stapleton |first=Dan |date=May 10, 2017 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/11/prey-review-2 |title=Prey PC Review |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=May 10, 2017}}</ref>
| PCGUS = 79/100<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Savage |first=Phil |date=May 9, 2017 |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/prey-review/ |title=Prey review |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |access-date=May 9, 2017}}</ref>
| Poly = 8.5/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Gies |first=Arthur |date=May 10, 2017 |url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/10/15615926/prey-review-ps4-xbox-one-pc-arkane-studios-bethesda |title=Prey review |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |access-date=May 10, 2017}}</ref>
| VG = 8/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Ahern |first=Colm |date=May 10, 2017 |url=https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/prey-review |title=Prey Review |publisher=VideoGamer.com |access-date=May 10, 2017}}</ref>
}}

''Prey'' received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to [[review aggregator]] [[Metacritic]].<ref name="MCPC"/><ref name="MCPS4"/><ref name="MCXONE"/>

Critics praised the fully realized atmosphere of ''Talos I'', with Neil Bolt of ''PlayStation Universe'' labeling it a "luxurious sci-fi playground".<ref>{{cite web |last=Bolt |first=Neil |date=May 11, 2017 |url=http://www.psu.com/review/32929/prey-2017-review-ps4 |title=Prey Review - PS4 |website=PlayStation Universe }}</ref> On the other hand, combat proved polarizing. ''[[GameSpot]]''{{'}}s Tamoor Hussain found fight sequences "rewarding",<ref name="gamespot.com"/> while ''[[IGN]]''{{'}}s Dan Stapleton considered combat ''Prey''{{'}}s "biggest weakness" partly due to periods of [[Artificial intelligence (video games)|AI]] unresponsiveness.<ref name="ignrev"/> Concerning the story, ''GameSpot'' found protagonist Morgan Yu's journey somewhat "thin",<ref name="gamespot.com"/> and ''[[Trusted Reviews]]'' called the storyline "lacking".<ref>{{cite web |last=Phipps |first=Brett |date=May 10, 2017 |url=http://www.trustedreviews.com/prey-review |title=Prey review |website=Trusted Reviews }}</ref> ''[[Eurogamer]]'' ranked the game 12th on their list of the "Top 50 Games of 2017",<ref>{{cite web |author=Eurogamer staff |date=December 29, 2017 |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-12-29-eurogamers-top-50-games-of-2017-20-11 |title=Eurogamer's Top 50 Games of 2017: 20-11 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |access-date=December 31, 2017}}</ref> ''[[GamesRadar+]]'' ranked it 11th on their list of the 25 Best Games of 2017,<ref>{{cite web |author=GamesRadar staff |date=December 22, 2017 |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-games-2017/2/ |title=The best games of 2017: Page 2 |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=March 25, 2018}}</ref> and ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' ranked it seventh on their list of the 50 best games of 2017,<ref>{{cite web |author=Polygon staff |date=December 18, 2017 |url=https://www.polygon.com/2017-best-games/2017/12/18/16781674/best-video-games-2017-top-50-mario-pubg-zelda |title=The 50 best games of 2017 |website=Polygon |access-date=February 13, 2018}}</ref> while [[Electronic Gaming Monthly|EGMNow]] ranked it ninth on their list of the 25 Best Games of 2017.<ref>{{cite web |author=EGM staff |date=December 30, 2017 |url=http://www.egmnow.com/articles/features/egms-best-of-2017-part-four-10-6/ |title=EGM's Best of 2017: Part Four: #10 ~ #6 |publisher=EGMNow |access-date=January 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180117072822/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/features/egms-best-of-2017-part-four-10-6/ |archive-date=January 17, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was nominated for "Best Setting" in ''[[PC Gamer]]''{{'}}s 2017 Game of the Year Awards,<ref>{{cite magazine |author=PC Gamer staff |date=December 8, 2017 |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/nominees-pc-gamer-goty-2017/ |title=Games of the Year 2017: The nominees |magazine=PC Gamer |access-date=February 2, 2018}}</ref> for "Best Xbox One Game" in ''[[Destructoid]]''{{'}}s Game of the Year Awards 2017,<ref>{{cite web |last=Makedonski |first=Brett |date=December 11, 2017 |url=https://www.destructoid.com/nominees-for-destructoid-s-best-xbox-one-game-of-2017-476931.phtml |title=Nominees for Destructoid's Best Xbox One Game of 2017 |website=Destructoid |access-date=February 2, 2018 |archive-date=February 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203130739/https://www.destructoid.com/nominees-for-destructoid-s-best-xbox-one-game-of-2017-476931.phtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> and for "Best Shooter" in ''[[IGN]]''{{'}}s Best of 2017 Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/wikis/best-of-2017-awards/Best_Shooter |title=Best of 2017 Awards: Best Shooter |website=IGN |date=December 20, 2017 |access-date=February 2, 2018}}</ref>

The game was praised by several critics and journalists for having an Asian protagonist.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yu|first=Heather Johnson|date=May 9, 2017|title=Critically Acclaimed Video Game 'Prey' Has an Asian Character as the Protagonist|url=https://nextshark.com/bethesda-prey-morgan-yu/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023165943/https://nextshark.com/bethesda-prey-morgan-yu/|archive-date=October 23, 2020|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=NextShark|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Takahashi|first=Dean|date=May 5, 2017|title=Bethesda's Prey gives us a rare Asian main character in a blockbuster game|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/05/05/bethesdas-prey-gives-us-a-rare-asian-main-character-in-a-blockbuster-game/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505234807/https://venturebeat.com/2017/05/05/bethesdas-prey-gives-us-a-rare-asian-main-character-in-a-blockbuster-game/|archive-date=May 5, 2017|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Valdes|first=Giancarlo|date=March 13, 2017|title=Prey's Asian protagonist is refreshing in a sea of bearded white dudes|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/03/12/preys-asian-protagonist-is-refreshing-in-a-sea-of-bearded-white-dudes/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313102126/http://venturebeat.com/2017/03/12/preys-asian-protagonist-is-refreshing-in-a-sea-of-bearded-white-dudes/|archive-date=March 13, 2017|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Scaife|first=Steven|date=July 5, 2017|title=Prey Lets Me Be Asian|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/prey/prey-lets-me-be-asian/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803160117/https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/prey/prey-lets-me-be-asian/|archive-date=August 3, 2020|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=pastemagazine.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Henry|first=Jasmine|date=March 15, 2017|title=Arkane Explains Why Prey Has an Asian Protagonist, Female Character|url=https://jstationx.com/2017/03/15/prey-asian-protagonist-female-character-option/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416173553/http://jstationx.com/2017/03/15/prey-asian-protagonist-female-character-option/|archive-date=April 16, 2017|access-date=October 23, 2020|website=J Station X|language=en-US}}</ref>

Years after the game's release, many have started considering it an underrated [[masterpiece]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=McKeand |first1=Kirk |title=I’m Begging You To Play Prey, One Of The Most Underrated Games Ever Made |url=https://www.thegamer.com/prey-game-pass-60fps-underrated-games-ever-made/ |website=The Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Maher |first1=Cian |title=Prey Does Everything Better Than Every Other Game Ever |url=https://www.thegamer.com/prey-arkane-best-game/ |website=The Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Robert |title=As Arkane Austin falls to the shareholders, its masterpiece Prey, which 'elevated immersive sims to a god-tier level', is slashed in price by 80% |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/as-arkane-austin-falls-to-the-shareholders-its-masterpiece-prey-that-elevated-immersive-sims-to-a-god-tier-level-is-slashed-in-price-by-80/ |website=PC Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Garcia |first1=Taylor |title=Arkane’s “Prey” (2017): An Underrated, Ethical Sci-Fi Masterpiece. |url=https://medium.com/illumination-gaming/arkanes-prey-2017-an-underrated-ethical-sci-fi-masterpiece-e771ad9c6778|website=Medium}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Theriault |first1=Jake |title=In Space No One Can Hear You Groove — Composing the Score for 2017’s PREY |url=https://medium.com/subpixelfilms-com/in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-groove-composing-the-score-for-2017s-prey-a68290e34590 |website=Medium}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Reuben |first1=Nick |title=Remembering Prey, Arkane Austin’s masterpiece |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/remembering-prey-arkane-austins-masterpiece |website=Rock Paper Shotgun}}</ref>. In 2021, TheGamer called Prey “one of the most underrated games ever made”. A 2024 piece by PC Gamer states that it “elevated immersive sims to a god-tier level”. Shortly after Arkane Austin's closure, [[Rock Paper Shotgun]] published an article stating that Prey is a “masterpiece that the industry didn't deserve”. <ref>{{cite web |last1=McKeand |first1=Kirk |title=I’m Begging You To Play Prey, One Of The Most Underrated Games Ever Made |url=https://www.thegamer.com/prey-game-pass-60fps-underrated-games-ever-made/ |website=The Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Maher |first1=Cian |title=Prey Does Everything Better Than Every Other Game Ever |url=https://www.thegamer.com/prey-arkane-best-game/ |website=The Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Robert |title=As Arkane Austin falls to the shareholders, its masterpiece Prey, which 'elevated immersive sims to a god-tier level', is slashed in price by 80% |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/as-arkane-austin-falls-to-the-shareholders-its-masterpiece-prey-that-elevated-immersive-sims-to-a-god-tier-level-is-slashed-in-price-by-80/ |website=PC Gamer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Garcia |first1=Taylor |title=Arkane’s “Prey” (2017): An Underrated, Ethical Sci-Fi Masterpiece. |url=https://medium.com/illumination-gaming/arkanes-prey-2017-an-underrated-ethical-sci-fi-masterpiece-e771ad9c6778|website=Medium}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Theriault |first1=Jake |title=In Space No One Can Hear You Groove — Composing the Score for 2017’s PREY |url=https://medium.com/subpixelfilms-com/in-space-no-one-can-hear-you-groove-composing-the-score-for-2017s-prey-a68290e34590 |website=Medium}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Reuben |first1=Nick |title=Remembering Prey, Arkane Austin’s masterpiece |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/remembering-prey-arkane-austins-masterpiece |website=Rock Paper Shotgun}}</ref>

=== Sales ===
''Prey'' debuted at No. 2 on the weekly sales charts in the United Kingdom, trailing the Nintendo Switch port of ''[[Mario Kart 8]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 8, 2017 |url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/08/mario-kart-8-deluxe-beats-prey-in-uk-sales-charts-6622298/ |title=Mario Kart 8 Deluxe beats Prey in UK sales charts |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |publisher=[[DMG Media]] |access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref> These figures were considered disappointing due to a lack of competition from [[AAA (video game industry)|AAA]] new releases and the fact that the opening week sales were 60% down from Arkane's previous title, ''[[Dishonored 2]]''.<ref name="MCVSales">{{cite web |last=Byrne |first=Katharine |date=May 10, 2017 |url=https://www.mcvuk.com/prey-is-bethesdas-review-policy-really-to-blame/ |title=Prey: is Bethesda's review policy really to blame? |work=[[MCV (magazine)|MCV]] |publisher=[[NewBay Media]] |access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref> Additionally, Bethesda's decision to hold review copies until the release date was mentioned by outlets as a factor for the weak launch.<ref name="MCVSales"/><ref name="MSSales">{{cite web |last=Madan |first=Asher |date=May 15, 2017 |url=https://mspoweruser.com/prey-bounces-back-disappointing-launch-sales/ |title=Prey bounces back after disappointing launch sales |work=MSPowerUser |access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref>

''Prey'' captured the top spot in its second week of release, besting ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'', a rise partially attributed to the positive reception from critics, though sales were down 32% from its debut week.<ref name="MSSales"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Gary |date=May 15, 2017 |url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/gaming/804876/Mario-Kart-8-Deluxe-Nintendo-Switch-Prey-Bethesda |title=Mario Kart 8 Deluxe endures Nintendo Switch drop as Prey beefs up Bethesda's 2017 |work=[[Daily Express]] |publisher=[[Northern & Shell]] |access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref> In doing so, ''Prey'' became the first Bethesda game since 2016's ''[[Doom (2016 video game)|Doom]]'' to reach number one on the United Kingdom weekly sales charts.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hussain |first=Tamoor |date=May 15, 2017 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/top-10-uk-sales-chart-prey-makes-it-to-no1-in-seco/1100-6450037/ |title=Top 10 UK Sales Chart: Prey Makes It To No.1 In Second Week |work=GameSpot |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=May 18, 2017}}</ref>

In Japan, ''Prey'' debuted at No. 5 on the weekly sales charts when it was released in late May with 7,105 copies sold for the PlayStation 4. The Xbox One version did not make the charts.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barder |first=Ollie |date=May 27, 2017 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2017/05/27/japanese-gamers-dont-really-care-about-prey-all-that-much/#1580a0195068 |title=Japanese Gamers Don't Really Care About 'Prey' All That Much |work=[[Forbes]] |access-date=June 6, 2017}}</ref>

=== Accolades ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Award !! Category !! Result !! {{Abbr|Ref(s).|References}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5" | 2017
| Ping Awards
| Best International Game
| {{Nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ping-awards.com/2017-nominations.php |title=Nommés aux Ping Awards 2017 |publisher=Ping Awards |language=fr |date=November 8, 2017 |access-date=December 11, 2018}}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Joystick Awards]]
| Best Storytelling
| {{Nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web |last=Gaito |first=Eri |date=November 13, 2017 |url=https://www.bestinslot.co/golden-joystick-awards-2017-nominees/ |title=Golden Joystick Awards 2017 Nominees |publisher=Best in Slot |access-date=February 2, 2018 |archive-date=January 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110003232/https://www.bestinslot.co/golden-joystick-awards-2017-nominees/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| [[The Game Awards 2017]]
| Best Action Game
| {{Nom}}
|<ref name="winners">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/all-the-2017-game-awards-winners-revealed/1100-6455467/ |title=All The 2017 Game Awards Winners Revealed |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |date=December 7, 2017 |website=GameSpot |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208045006/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/all-the-2017-game-awards-winners-revealed/1100-6455467/ |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Fun & Serious Game Festival|Titanium Awards]]
| Best Game Design
| {{Nom}}
| rowspan="2" |<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.funandseriousgamefestival.com/the-list-of-finalists-for-the-fun-serious-titanium-awards-has-been-revealed-2017/ |title=The list of finalists for the Fun & Serious Titanium Awards has been revealed |publisher=[[Fun & Serious Game Festival]] |year=2017 |access-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-date=November 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191112055301/https://en.funandseriousgamefestival.com/the-list-of-finalists-for-the-fun-serious-titanium-awards-has-been-revealed-2017/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| Best Action Game
| {{Nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3" | 2018
| National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards
| Art Direction, Fantasy
| {{Nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://navgtr.org/archives/3351/ |title=Nominee List for 2017 |publisher=National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers |date=February 9, 2018 |access-date=February 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180215172210/http://navgtr.org/archives/3351/ |archive-date=February 15, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://navgtr.org/archives/3365/ |title=Horizon wins 7; Mario GOTY |publisher=National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers |date=March 13, 2018 |access-date=March 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180314070824/http://navgtr.org/archives/3365/ |archive-date=March 14, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| Italian Video Game Awards
| Best Narrative
| {{Won}}
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://italianvideogameawards.com/awards |title=Italian Video Game Nominees and Winners 2018 |publisher=Italian Video Game Awards |date=March 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321193010/https://italianvideogameawards.com/awards |archive-date=March 21, 2018 |url-status=dead |access-date=June 3, 2019}}</ref>
|-
| [[SXSW Gaming Awards]]
| Excellence in Narrative
| {{Nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web |last=McNeill |first=Andrew |date=January 31, 2018 |url=https://gaming.sxsw.com/news/2018/2018-sxsw-gaming-awards-finalists/ |title=Here Are Your 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards Finalists! |publisher=[[South by Southwest|SXSW]] |access-date=February 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=IGN Studios |date=March 17, 2018 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2018/03/18/sxsw-gaming-awards-2018-winners-revealed |title=2018 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners Revealed |website=IGN |access-date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>
|}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website|https://prey.com/}}
* [http://humanhead.com/games-prey2.html Official site]
* [https://www.mobygames.com/game/prey_ Prey] at [[MobyGames]]

{{Portal bar|2010s|Space|Speculative fiction|Video games}}
{{Prey}}
{{Arkane Studios}}
{{ZeniMax Media}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Video game cleanup]]
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[[Category:Alien abduction in video games]]
[[Category:Video games about alien abduction]]
[[Category:Bethesda Softworks]]
[[Category:Video games about alien invasions]]
[[Category:Alternate history video games]]
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[[Category:CryEngine games]]
[[Category:First-person shooters]]
[[Category:First-person shooters]]
[[Category:Open world video games]]
[[Category:Immersive sims]]
[[Category:PlayStation 3 games]]
[[Category:Metroidvania games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
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Latest revision as of 00:54, 31 December 2024

Prey
Developer(s)Arkane Austin
Publisher(s)Bethesda Softworks
Director(s)Raphaël Colantonio
Producer(s)Susan Kath
Designer(s)Ricardo Bare
Programmer(s)Stevan Hird
Writer(s)
Composer(s)Mick Gordon
EngineCryEngine
Unreal Engine 4 (Typhon Hunter)
Platform(s)
ReleaseMay 5, 2017
Genre(s)First-person shooter, Immersive sim
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Prey is a 2017 first-person shooter immersive sim video game developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on May 5, 2017.

Prey takes place in an alternate timeline in which an accelerated Space Race resulted in mankind taking to orbital stations far earlier. The player controls Morgan Yu while exploring the space station Talos I, in orbit around Earth–Moon L2, where they were part of a scientific team researching the Typhon, a hostile alien force composed of many forms with both physical and psychic powers, such as shapeshifting into a clone of any inanimate object. As the Typhon escape confinement, the player uses a variety of weapons and abilities, some of which are derived from the Typhon themselves, to survive while progressing to end the alien outbreak on the station and ultimately escape. The player gradually gains access to areas of Talos I through linear mission progression - acquiring key items and abilities along the way - eventually allowing the player to explore the station in an open world setting. The game combines elements of first-person shooters, role-playing video games, stealth games, and Metroidvanias in its design.

Arkane's Prey is largely unrelated to the 2006 game Prey developed by Human Head Studios. While Prey 2, a sequel to the 2006 game, had been planned by Human Head, it fell into development hell following the transfer of the intellectual property from 3D Realms to Bethesda Softworks, and was eventually canceled in 2014. Arkane's game does not use any of the planned sequel's assets and only incorporates the previous game's name and the broad theme of the protagonist being hunted by aliens. Arkane built Prey as a spiritual successor to System Shock, giving players multiple avenues to approach and tackle missions while considering the Talos I station a thematic reinterpretation of the underground dungeon from their debut game, Arx Fatalis.

Prey received positive reviews from critics and is considered one of the best games of 2017 by several gaming magazines and websites. Two expansions were released: Mooncrash, a procedurally-generated mode inspired by various roguelike games, and a multiplayer Typhon Hunter that incorporates the Typhon shapeshifting abilities in a hide-and-seek style game. Retrospectively, the game has been recognized by several gaming publications as one of the best immersive sims released to date.

Gameplay

[edit]
Players can use the gloo cannon to freeze Mimics, stopping them from moving and transforming into daily life objects.

Prey is a first-person shooter immersive sim with role-playing and stealth elements set in an open world environment. The player takes the role of Morgan Yu, a human aboard a space station overrun by the Typhon, a hostile alien race with various differing subspecies. In a play through, Players can customize Morgan’s attributes, such as gender, and make choices that may, or may not, ultimately influence the story. To survive, the player must collect and use weapons, tools, and resources aboard the station to fend off and defeat the Typhon threat.[1] For example, Recycler Charges can be used to break down almost any object into raw materials, which can then be repurposed using the game's crafting system.[2] The game also features a variation of the skill tree system, enabling players to tailor their playstyle to suit their preferences.[2]

According to creative director Raphaël Colantonio, the station setting of Talos I is completely continuous rather than having separate levels or missions, at times requiring the player to return to areas they previously explored. Lacking a conventional fast travel system, the player can instead venture outside Talos I into space and find shortcuts connecting parts of the station.[3] Colantonio stated that the Typhon aliens have an array of different physical and psychic powers that the player character can gain over time; one such alien, for example, can shapeshift into everyday items, such as a chair or coffee mug.[3] The player can acquire the aliens' abilities by using a device called a psychoscope, which is found through mission progression.

Prey has multiple endings, according to lead designer Ricardo Bare; the endings fall into three major narrative structures depending on how the player broadly interacted with the station and surviving humans, but Bare said there are "tons of little permutations" based on specific events.[4]

Mooncrash expansion

[edit]

The Mooncrash expansion, released in June 2018, is a separate game mode built atop the setting and gameplay of the base Prey game. It is a roguelike mode in which, while the levels of the expansion remain the same, the placement of enemies, weapons, and other items are randomized on each playthrough.

Narratively, the player takes the role of Peter, a hacker aboard a satellite orbiting the Moon, forced by his employer the Kasma Corporation to figure out what happened at the Pytheas Moonbase. Peter does this by running through simulations, in which he takes the place of one of five known survivors of the attack. The player must figure out how each of the five survived through the five various escape routes. This is presented by leading one character through the station, fighting off the Typhon, collecting equipment, hacking terminals, and other actions. If the player can lead that character to safety, they then must lead the other characters, one at a time, through the same game world to find a different escape point, with all of the changes from the previous characters still in place. Players may reset the simulation, randomizing the world elements and effectively starting a new run. However, the player gains credits that they can use within the simulation to improve how any of the characters start, such as with better weapons or additional health packs, and they can permanently unlock skills for each character within future simulation runs by collecting certain objects.[5]

Typhon Hunter expansion

[edit]

The Typhon Hunter expansion contains two game modes. One is designed as a single-player virtual reality experience, challenging the player to various escape room scenarios aboard the Talos I station. The second is an asymmetrical multiplayer mode for up to six players. One plays as Morgan while the others are Mimic Typhons, which can disguise themselves as nearly any object within the environment. The player as Morgan is challenged to find and kill all the other players within a limited amount of time, while the Mimic players can rearrange items in rooms, disguise themselves, and when the Morgan player is close, jump out and attack them before seeking another hiding place.[6]

Plot

[edit]

Setting

[edit]

Prey takes place in an alternate timeline where in 1958 the Soviet Union encounters a species of eusocial aliens, called the Typhon, aboard their satellite Vorona 1. The Soviet Union works together with the United States to fight off and capture the aliens, unbeknownst to the general population. Together, they build the space station Kletka[a] to be used as a prison for the Typhon situated in orbit around the Moon. After a failed assassination attempt on United States President John F. Kennedy, the United States wrests full control of the Kletka satellite from the Soviet Union. Research of the Typhon continues under the name "Project Axiom". After the "Pobeg Incident" in 1980 where some scientists aboard the station lost their lives to the Typhon, the American government shutters Project Axiom, leaving the captive Typhon alive.

By 2025, the newly founded TranStar Corporation acquires Kletka and by 2030, has refitted it as Talos I, a fully operational research laboratory to study the Typhon and develop advances in neuroscience; this leads to the creation of neuromods that harness the Typhon's physiology to restructure the human brain to grant the user new abilities, including superhuman ones.[7] TranStar grows financially successful from sales of neuromods on Earth. At the time of the setting, about 2035, TranStar has further expanded the station to make for suitable living quarters for its staff that spend up to two years on the station between regular shuttles to Earth.[8]

Because of the numerous agencies that operated and expanded Talos I over the decades, the station includes a large mix of architectural designs, ranging from retrofuturism that was popular in 1960s America, to brutalist styles that were common in the Soviet Bloc in the mid-20th century, to opulent Art Deco put in place by the wealthy TranStar executives.[9][10]

Synopsis

[edit]

In March 2032, Morgan Yu (male voiced by Tim Kang, female voiced by Sumalee Montano)[11] is recruited by their brother Alex (Benedict Wong)[11] to join TranStar's research team on Talos I. Before leaving for the station, Morgan takes a series of tests including the Trolley problem and the Rorschach test. One of the supervising doctors is attacked by a Typhon during the testing process, and Morgan is knocked out. Morgan wakes up in their apartment and finds that it is a simulated environment. It is 2035 and Morgan has been living on Talos I for three years. Morgan is contacted by January (voiced by Kang or Montano, depending on the player's chosen gender),[11] an Operator artificial intelligence that claims to have been built by Morgan. January warns Morgan that the Typhon have broken containment and taken over the station, killing the majority of the crew. It reveals to Morgan that they had been testing neuromods for the past three years, with Morgan continually adding and removing them. While these neuromods allow for instantaneous learning of complex skills and abilities, a side effect of removing a neuromod is that the user loses all memories gained after installation of that neuromod, explaining Morgan's memory loss. January claims that Morgan built it to help destroy Talos I, taking the Typhon and all of its research with it. Alex contacts Morgan and suggests instead building a special Nullwave device that will destroy the Typhon but leave the station intact, citing how their research is too valuable to lose.

Morgan travels through the station and encounters other survivors, with a choice of whether to help them or not. Alex tasks Morgan with scanning the Typhon "Coral" growing around the station and discovers that the Typhon are building some sort of neural network. Their attempts to study the neural network are interrupted when the TranStar Board of Directors learns of the containment breach and sends a cleanup crew to eliminate both the Typhon and any surviving station crew. After the cleanup crew is dealt with, Alex further analyzes the data and concludes that the Typhon are sending a signal into deep space to summon something. A gargantuan Typhon called the Apex appears and begins to devour Talos I. Morgan is given the choice of to activate the station's self-destruct sequence or build the Nullwave device to defeat the Typhon.

If Morgan chooses to activate the Nullwave device, all of the Typhon on Talos I are destroyed and the station is left intact. If Morgan chooses to activate the self-destruct, the entire station explodes, destroying all of the Typhon with it. Morgan either finds a way to escape the station or is stranded and dies in the explosion, based on earlier choices in the game.

In a post-credits scene, Morgan wakes up in a lab and learns that it is not the real Morgan, but instead, a captured Typhon implanted with Morgan's memories in an effort to teach it human emotions and empathy. The Typhon have invaded Earth; Alex and his Operator assistants judge "Morgan" based on the choices it made throughout the game. If "Morgan" failed to show human empathy, Alex destroys it and starts the experiment over. If "Morgan" did show human empathy, Alex lets it go, whereupon it can choose to accept his offer to bring peace between the Typhon and humanity or kill him.

Mooncrash

[edit]

In 2036, Peter is stationed in a remote satellite orbiting the Moon and is forced under contract by the Kasma Corporation, a rival to TranStar, to undergo numerous simulations reliving a Typhon outbreak on Transtar's Pytheas Moon Base. As he completes his assigned tasks, his handler Basilisk warns him that Kasma will betray him once his mission is complete and helps him make preparations to escape. When Peter fulfills his contract, Kasma congratulates him but claims that due to tight budgets, they cannot retrieve him from the satellite and shut off its life support. With help from Basilisk, Peter overrides the satellite's controls and crashes it near the real Pytheas facility, where he commandeers a shuttle and returns to Earth. In a post-credits scene, it is revealed that a Mimic has stowed away on Peter's shuttle.

Development

[edit]

Intellectual property transition

[edit]

The success of the original Prey led to the announcement of a sequel Prey 2 in August 2006, with continued development by 3D Realms.[12] However, the project faced numerous issues, including the transfer of the intellectual property (IP) rights to Bethesda Softworks (under ZeniMax Media) by 2011. In March 2011, Bethesda announced that Prey 2 would instead be developed by Human Head Studios using a modified id Tech 4 engine.[13][14]

On May 31, 2013, Kotaku reported rumors that development had moved to Arkane Studios and that the development had been rebooted, scrapping all of Human Head Studios' work on Prey 2 with a targeted release of 2016.[15] After about a year of further rumors, Bethesda cancelled Prey 2. Arkane had started working on a Prey game that would be considered a reboot rather than a sequel, using none of the Prey concepts and none of Human Head's previous development.[16]

On June 12, 2016, Bethesda announced the Prey reboot at its E3 press conference. Development was led by Arkane Studios CEO and director Raphaël Colantonio and his team in Austin, Texas.[17] The new Prey is not a true sequel but instead "a re-imagining of the IP", according to Colantonio.[18] The teaser trailer shown during E3 2016 showed the protagonist in something like "a space horror version of Groundhog Day", according to CNET's Seamus Byrne.[19] Bethesda's vice president of marketing Pete Hines explained that the new game has no elements from the cancelled Prey 2 outside of the player facing against aliens.[20] Colantonio said in later interviews that calling their game Prey was a "non negotiable compromise" with Bethesda, a decision that no one on the Arkane team was pleased with. Colantonio said it felt bad to lie that they were continuing the Prey series, and was an insult to Human Head, the developers of the original Prey.[21] He expressed that it was a "sales mistake" that would turn away fans of the original Prey and fail to attract other players.[22]

Gameplay design

[edit]

Prey came out of Arkane Studios' own ideas; as explained by Colantonio, they split their team to work on two projects after completing work on Dishonored. One project was Dishonored 2 and the other was a new intellectual property based on similar gameplay ideas which would be "in first-person, with depth and simulation and narration".[16] According to lead designer Ricardo Bare, Colantonio had suggested they look back towards what they had done with Arx Fatalis, a fantasy title produced by Arkane in 2002 which featured "this big, inter-connected dungeon that the player could roam so long as they could unlock everything".[23] They took this "mega-dungeon" concept, but set it as a space station filled with hostile aliens, and would require the player to consider the "full ecology" of the game world to overcome obstacles.[16][9] They did not want the player to solve singular-solution puzzles, such as simply finding a key for a locked door, but instead "think of this as a living, dynamic world, where there are tons of solutions possible", according to Bare.[9]

As Arkane started developing this concept, they recognized the similarities to the original Prey. Realizing that coming up with a name for a new property can be difficult and that through Bethesda that they would have the ability to use that name, they chose the name Prey.[16] Hines explained that Arkane evaluated the Prey property to its core and built up a new game around it, calling it more a psychological game rather than a horror one.[20] In a 2021 making-of documentary created by Noclip, Colantonio and Bare said that, while the project never had any other official name, the title Prey was a direct mandate from Bethesda. Colantonio referred to it as a "compromise" for the team's creative freedom, saying that the game "had to be Prey somehow" and that the name "was not necessarily [...] the best choice we wanted back then", while Bare recalled that "The Bethesda group was like, 'we have this name Prey, can you please use it?'"[24]

According to design documents from early in the project's history published by Kotaku, the game was developed at Arkane under the name "Project Danielle".[25] This was later confirmed by Bare, who added that the name was "a little bit of an homage to SHODAN" from System Shock.[26] Three different concepts were presented, all based on the nature of System Shock and involving the player-character named Danielle Sho to find that there was a false reality in their apparent world and dealing with an artificial intelligence that has a significant influence on events; these settings included a futuristic lab set on Earth set just prior to the System Shock time frame, a secret lab on a remote island, and a retro-futuristic setting. Kotaku observed that this final setting was closest to what the released Prey looked like.[25]

Prey incorporates numerous gameplay concepts from Dishonored, which was itself inspired by the Looking Glass Studios' games Thief: The Dark Project and System Shock, where players are encouraged to find creative solutions to overcome obstacles.[27] Borrowed elements from Dishonored include giving the player enough agency to determine how they want to proceed, having in-game consequences for certain actions taken by the player, developing a game world based on pre-established lore that can be learned by examining notes and computer terminals throughout the station, and a simple user interface.[27] However, Colantonio said that Prey would be less focused on stealth as Dishonored was, and would provide a more role-playing video game-style improvement system through in-game chipsets that allows the player to customize their abilities for more tactical fast-paced action sequences in contrast to Dishonored's bone charm system.[27] While Prey has been likened to a Metroidvania, Bare has said that he was not familiar with the sub-genre and that Prey's world design follows in the footsteps of games such as System Shock and Arkane's own Arx Fatalis, which featured interconnected worlds where to make progress, obstacles had been overcome through abilities the player could acquire.[28] Bare considered the Talos I setting to be "like an open world" that is fully explorable as the player gained abilities and equipment.[29] However, according to Colantonio, calling it an open world "might have the wrong associations."[30] The developers also took inspiration from FTL: Faster Than Light, considering the complexities of the various gameplay systems and how fast that a situation can go wrong if the player did not sufficiently plan. Bare said they wanted to include that "chaos of systems", and keeping in mind that Talos I is a functioning space station, populated the station with various hazards like gas pipes and oil spills that can be both an aid to the players in defeating the Typhon or a cause of unforeseen consequences if the player is not careful.[31] Arkane had considered including procedural generation within the main campaign, so that different areas may have different hazards when the player encountered them, but they recognized that this would become a point of frustration for a single-player game that may cause players to leave the game uncompleted. They dropped this approach and instead worked the procedural generation aspects into the downloadable content Mooncrash, which takes place outside the main game's campaign.[32]

Emergent gameplay was a goal of Arkane: while they had given the players abilities to take on Prey in a full action mode or full stealth mode, they wanted players to find a way to complete the game in their own manner.[23] They recognized players may take one specific set of skills and weapons and avoided including any enemies or obstacles that would be impossible to surpass because they did not specialize in the right skills, providing a means to bypass such areas.[23] Arkane restricted how many horror elements they would include, since they could not predict where the player's attention would be, providing another reason why they opted not to consider Prey a horror game.[23] Some elements supporting emergent gameplay arose during testing of the game's various systems. One of the Typhon aliens, the Mimic, was inspired by the creature of the same name from Dungeons & Dragons, and was programmed to take the form of any object smaller than itself in the room, avoiding the use of scripted events and allowing the alien's artificial intelligence to decide what to replicate.[23] Separately, one of the tools developed by Arkane was the psychoscope, which allows players to scan an alien and learn and then use its powers; when the programmers learned of this, they quickly found that having players be able to copy the Mimic's power created a depth of new gameplay options, such as taking the form of a small object to sneak into small places or taking the form of a non-flammable object to roll through fire-laden areas.[23] Enabling emergent gameplay in Prey allowed for speedrunners to take advantage of the game's tools, particularly the Gloo Cannon that can create platforms on surfaces to access areas Arkane did not intend to be accessed without other tools.[33]

Story and art

[edit]
One of the points of divergence in Prey's parallel universe is the failed assassination of John F. Kennedy.

The narrative concept for Prey came to Colantonio during one of his airline flights while on travel; on return, he started to engage with the Austin studio to flesh out the ideas for the narrative, design, and gameplay, looking to build as detailed a world as they had for the city of Dunwall used as the setting for Dishonored.[34][23] Colantonio said that it took about a year from this initial concept to come up with an alternate timeline that helped support this detailing.[34] They considered how the future would have been different if John F. Kennedy survived the assassination attempt, allowing them to flesh out the narrative and design of the space station.[23] This itself directly attributed to the styles used in the various parts of the station, with the team considering what architecture would have influenced those most responsible for operating Talos I at the time. This ranged from considering what Kennedy would have seen frequently were he alive in the 1960s and 1970s, to envisioning how those funding contemporary commercial space efforts like Elon Musk or Google would style a space station.[9] As Talos I is a relatively small space, Arkane was able to detail the station in depth to make the world more cohesive, such as naming and fleshing out background stories for each non-player character (NPC), including those already dead by the story's beginning.[35]

The narrative directed them to the types of weapons that would be available to the player. Arkane recognized that as a research station, their security forces would only likely have common weapons, such as pistols and shotguns, and would not have the equivalent of super-powerful gear like Doom's BFG. What advanced weapons are available were designed to look like prototypes and have flaws associated with them being only in their testing phase.[9]

Avellone wrote and designed significant parts of Prey's content.

Arkane's Harvey Smith is credited with establishing the Typhon and the reason for their existence in the story.[34] The player, as Morgan, follows in the threat's wake, finding survivors who have no idea what just happened but need their help.[29] Arkane wanted a more unique design to the aliens, and opted to use designs inspired by paranormal elements rather than stereotypical insect- or lizard-like species.[35]

Austin Grossman, also of Arkane, helped establish the early plot details with Morgan's awakening at the start.[34] Bare had reached out to Chris Avellone circa 2013 to gain his help with the story, though at the time, Avellone was committed to other projects but wanted to work with the studio. Once Avellone was able to, he contacted Arkane to offer his help on the narrative.[34] Besides other parts of the narrative, Avellone was responsible for designing the NPCs and the various missions that would involve these characters. Avellone felt these characters and their missions created dilemmas for the player to determine how to proceed, helping the player to define their version of Morgan as well as expanding on the game universe.[34] Avellone worked with Arkane on the story from June to about November 2016.[36][37]

Among other works, Prey was influenced by the films Moon, Starship Troopers, and The Matrix. As part of the promotion, Bethesda partnered with the Alamo Drafthouse to show these three films during April 2017.[38] Avellone also cited Aliens as part of his inspiration, describing it as an action-suspense film which has moments of comedy, even amid heavy action sequences, and something he reused in writing for Prey.[34]

The original score was composed and produced by Mick Gordon, who had previously composed the soundtrack for Doom. Additional music was composed by Ben Crossbones, Matt Piersall, and Colantonio, with each one providing a single track. The soundtrack was released for live-streaming music services a week before the game's release.[39]

Technical development

[edit]

Prior to Prey, Arkane had just released Dishonored 2 which used the studio's internally developed Void game engine. At release, many players reported performance problems with the Windows version, which Arkane fixed through patches, but led to some lingering doubts as to Arkane's ability to develop for the Windows platform. Colantonio said that Arkane wanted to remove that stigma for Prey, with the goal to produce a "really flawless" version for Windows on release.[40] The game was developed using CryEngine, an established third-party game engine, eliminating many issues related to performance. Colantonio said that they "doubled our thoroughness" in the areas of quality assurance testing to eliminate other possible issues.[40][41]

Expansions

[edit]

During the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018, Bethesda announced a free update released on June 9, 2018, that added two new game modes to Prey, including a New Game Plus mode, and a Survival mode that adds modifiers, such as weapon durability, that make it more difficult. Bethesda announced the first downloadable content, Mooncrash, which is a procedurally generated adventure that was available that day. They announced plans to release a multiplayer Typhon Hunt mode, where some players play as Typhon Mimics that can disguise themselves.[42] The Typhon Hunt mode was inspired by the "Prop Hunt" mode that came about from Garry's Mod; as Arkane started to show initial details of the main game, including the Mimic enemies, players responded that they were reminded of "Prop Hunt". Bare had not been aware of what that was, but after researching it, felt it was ideal for a multiplayer extension of Prey.[6] Both Mooncrash and Typhon Hunt were modes prototyped within an internal game jam following the release of Prey, looking to see how they could easily extend the game.[6]

The Mooncrash expansion was further updated in September 2018 with a free patch that provided in-game customization skins that celebrated the team's favorite roguelike games, which included Spelunky, Rogue Legacy, Risk of Rain, Don't Starve, Darkest Dungeon, and Dead Cells.[43]

The Typhon Hunt mode was released on December 11, 2018, along with a virtual reality-based escape the room set of puzzles set before the events of Prey. Both modes were released as free additions to Mooncrash.[44]

Release and marketing

[edit]

Prey was released on May 5, 2017.[45] Arkane and Bethesda provided a game demo for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles about a week before the launch, covering about the first hour of gameplay. The studio did not opt to provide a demo for Windows systems, citing that they had to choose between either the consoles or personal computer for demo release. Colantonio said that with the release through Steam, interested players can try the game for up to two hours under Steam's return policy, effectively treating this as the equivalent of a demo.[46] The Steam version eventually received a demo in August 2017, which included roughly the first hour of gameplay.[47]

Technical issues

[edit]

PCGamesN reported that the Windows version of Prey lacked the technical problems of Dishonored 2, calling it "the best performing triple-A game" they had seen in several months.[48] Eurogamer's Digital Foundry found the computer version of Prey to run exceedingly well across even low-end computers, in contrast to problems it saw for Dishonored 2 at release.[49]

However, some reviewers and players found that after several hours of playing on the computer version, their saved games would become corrupted, and the game would crash when transitioning between areas once this started to occur. Restoring from older saves would eventually cause those to be corrupted as well, making the game impossible to complete.[50] A Bethesda representative said that Arkane was "working diligently on a fix" that would be released sometime that week;[50] the patch was deployed the following day.[51]

Trademark dispute

[edit]

Just prior to release, No Matter Studios, the developers of an upcoming video game Prey for the Gods, announced that, due to trademark objections from ZeniMax Media, they had to change the name of their game to Praey for the Gods. ZeniMax reported that they had to defend the Prey trademark to avoid losing it in taking objection to No Matter's trademark filing.[52][53]

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]

Prey received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[54][55][56]

Critics praised the fully realized atmosphere of Talos I, with Neil Bolt of PlayStation Universe labeling it a "luxurious sci-fi playground".[67] On the other hand, combat proved polarizing. GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain found fight sequences "rewarding",[61] while IGN's Dan Stapleton considered combat Prey's "biggest weakness" partly due to periods of AI unresponsiveness.[63] Concerning the story, GameSpot found protagonist Morgan Yu's journey somewhat "thin",[61] and Trusted Reviews called the storyline "lacking".[68] Eurogamer ranked the game 12th on their list of the "Top 50 Games of 2017",[69] GamesRadar+ ranked it 11th on their list of the 25 Best Games of 2017,[70] and Polygon ranked it seventh on their list of the 50 best games of 2017,[71] while EGMNow ranked it ninth on their list of the 25 Best Games of 2017.[72] It was nominated for "Best Setting" in PC Gamer's 2017 Game of the Year Awards,[73] for "Best Xbox One Game" in Destructoid's Game of the Year Awards 2017,[74] and for "Best Shooter" in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards.[75]

The game was praised by several critics and journalists for having an Asian protagonist.[76][77][78][79][80]

Years after the game's release, many have started considering it an underrated masterpiece.[81][82][83][84][85][86]. In 2021, TheGamer called Prey “one of the most underrated games ever made”. A 2024 piece by PC Gamer states that it “elevated immersive sims to a god-tier level”. Shortly after Arkane Austin's closure, Rock Paper Shotgun published an article stating that Prey is a “masterpiece that the industry didn't deserve”. [87][88][89][90][91][92]

Sales

[edit]

Prey debuted at No. 2 on the weekly sales charts in the United Kingdom, trailing the Nintendo Switch port of Mario Kart 8.[93] These figures were considered disappointing due to a lack of competition from AAA new releases and the fact that the opening week sales were 60% down from Arkane's previous title, Dishonored 2.[94] Additionally, Bethesda's decision to hold review copies until the release date was mentioned by outlets as a factor for the weak launch.[94][95]

Prey captured the top spot in its second week of release, besting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a rise partially attributed to the positive reception from critics, though sales were down 32% from its debut week.[95][96] In doing so, Prey became the first Bethesda game since 2016's Doom to reach number one on the United Kingdom weekly sales charts.[97]

In Japan, Prey debuted at No. 5 on the weekly sales charts when it was released in late May with 7,105 copies sold for the PlayStation 4. The Xbox One version did not make the charts.[98]

Accolades

[edit]
Year Award Category Result Ref(s).
2017 Ping Awards Best International Game Nominated [99]
Golden Joystick Awards Best Storytelling Nominated [100]
The Game Awards 2017 Best Action Game Nominated [101]
Titanium Awards Best Game Design Nominated [102]
Best Action Game Nominated
2018 National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards Art Direction, Fantasy Nominated [103][104]
Italian Video Game Awards Best Narrative Won [105]
SXSW Gaming Awards Excellence in Narrative Nominated [106][107]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Russian: Клетка lit.'Cell'

References

[edit]
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