Prey: Arkane Says Game to Be 'Flawless' on PC at Launch
By Kyle Sledge 31 December 2016
The video game developer Arkane Studios promises fans that the PC version of its forthcoming first-person shooter, Prey, will be “flawless” when it launches.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, Bethesda and Arkane Studios’ Prey is considered by many to be one of the most anticipated games of 2017. Of course, with fans emanating such excitement for the title, it also means that developers will be under a lot of pressure to deliver a near-perfect product due to the expectations caused by gamers awaiting its release.
Fortunately, though, it seems as if Arkane Studios is up to the task when it comes to making Prey as solid as possible, with the game’s co-creative director Rafael Colantonio recently declaring to Game Informer (via PC Gamer) that the team will do its best to ensure a “flawless” launch for the title later this year on all of its platforms, with the developer noting that the PC version in particular will be given extra attention. One reason behind the personal computer iteration of Prey getting more scrutiny is due to Arkane’s previous title Dishonored 2 having major PC issues at launch.
Obviously, Arkane would like to avoid any problems with Prey‘s PC version when it releases, and Colantonio assures fans of the company’s games that the appropriate lessons have been learned from Dishonored 2 that will make the forthcoming science fiction shooter a better title at the outset. When asked exactly how the developer would sidestep any day one issues with Prey on PC, the Arkane co-creative director responded positively by guaranteeing more attention will be paid to the game throughout its production.
“We had a rough launch on the PC [with Dishonored 2] … In development you never exactly know what you’re going to see, most of all with PC because there are so many different configurations and stuff. Unfortunately, it’s what it is, it shipped, then it got patched, and now it runs really well. So of course, we are paying double-attention to making sure that this time, the PC version is really flawless when we ship.
“There’s a little bit more QA time [for Prey]. Also it’s a different engine, so the constraints are different. In the case of Dishonored, we created a new engine, really, even those it’s based on idTech, most of it has been redone … In the case of Prey we’re using the CryEngine, so it’s an engine that has already shipped things before. So it’s not the same configuration. Nevertheless, we are of course aware of [PC issues] now, and were back then already, but it caught us by surprise a little. This time we’re paying more attention for sure.”
Although it’s nice to know that Arkane will be giving its all to ensure that Prey will have a successful launch on PC in terms of it being functional on the platform, there’s no telling whether or not any unforeseen circumstances could crop up in between now and its release to cause the developer to renege on its promise. Nevertheless, the title seems to be shaping up quite nicely, as evidenced in the recently released clip involving eight minutes of extended gameplay.
As far as Prey‘s gameplay is concerned, several weeks ago, Arkane offered fans a look at the title’s weapon crafting feature and Gloo Gun in screenshots. In regards to being able to make items in Prey, lead designer Ricardo Bare has said that crafting will be “as physical as possible,” allowing players to actually see the items created in-world, and cause the game to feel more “grounded and real” than in other releases.
While visuals and gameplay mechanics are certainly important for any developer’s title, many would argue that it’s most difficult for a game to stand the test of time without a coherent and engaging story. Luckily enough, the plot is in the hands of the Fallout: New Vegas writer Chris Avellon. Hopefully, he will be able to create a captivating tale that not only exceeds his previous efforts, but also inspires Arkane to succeed with its vows to make Prey as “flawless” as possible on PC and consoles as well.
Prey is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
