Bethesda: Prey 2 not canned, but it won't make 2012

Bethesda's confirmed that Prey 2 hasn't been cancelled contrary to previous speculation, but has said it won't meet its planned 2012 release due to it not meeting the publisher's "quality standards".

Prey 2 has not been killed, publisher Bethesda confirmed today, confirming the Human Head shooter is still in the works.

It follows a previous rumour which claimed the game was canned.

Bethesda's now confirmed that isn't the case, but has said it won't now meet a promised 2012 launch due to it currently not passing its "quality standards".

"Development of Prey 2 has not been cancelled but the game will not be released in 2012 as planned," said Bethesda in a statement sent to VG247.

"The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards. Prey 2 has shown great promise and we regret disappointing our fans. We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want.

"We are determined only to release the AAA game that fans rightfully expect, and are unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule."

Prey 2 was unveiled last March for PS3, 360 and PC. The game was shown behind closed doors numerous times to press, including the publisher's pre-E3 event in Utah last April, E3 itself, QuakeCon and gamescom, as well as public showings at PAX Prime and Eurogamer Expo.

Bethesda's main focus for this year will now be Skyrim DLC and Arkane's Dishonored, which got its debut trailer earlier this week. That'll release on PS3, 360 and PC.