Arkane Austin (Prey)’s next game seemingly still an immersive sim despite online focus

[Nirolak]

Well, it looks like we're getting at least one more AAA immersive sim game.

For context, Arkane Austin has approximately doubled their number of open job positions since our last thread a week or two ago, and this has revealed some new details.

Highlights:

1.) One of the job postings explicitly says "Our style of immersive simulation and emergent gameplay creates many challenges." and goes on to talk about how this job posting is for their new game with online.

2.) I am suspicious they have moved to idtech6 given there's a bunch of job postings that ask for engine experience and all list id's technologies like idtech or radiant first as examples. Prey was on CryEngine 3. Mind, it could just be company spirit, but I'm sticking with my suspicion.

3.) The job postings feature a first person weapons artist that makes guns and gun attachments, so it's probably a shooter of some kind.

4.) A ton of these job postings are for online experience and technology, even among positions like Art Director.

5.) Some of the jobs talk about making FPS levels and one even talks about making "maps".

6.) A lot of people have pointed out that Bethesda renewed the trademark for The Crossing, which was Arkane's online shooter/immersive sim game thing. I have to say that fits really well with these job postings.

7.) It's worth noting they have approximately three times as many job openings versus Arkane Lyon of Dishonored 2 game (17 vs 5), so that studio may not have decided what to do yet, whereas Arkane Austin has clearly been given the greenlight to mass hire.

8.) Sone of the job postings talk about "next-generation consoles", but many developers still use that term to refer to the PS4 and XB1, so I wouldn't read too much into that unless the job postings are very explicit they mean the actual next generation of consoles. Mind, we are around that time of the generation for new projects.

Some notable postings:
https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1642 (Immersive sim listing)
https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1634 (Weapon artist, first person and idtech notes)
https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1447 (Online, live game notes)
https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1610(Art Director with online notes)
https://jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions/view/1644 (Talks about "maps", more idtech listings)

General job page: https://jobs.zenimax.com/locations/view/3

 

[MechanicalWall]

Will they hire writers to create more interesting characters, Tho? That's the real question

 

[Xaero Gravity]

After Prey, I'll be watching everything the Austin team does. Such an underated game. I feel guilty for waiting until now to pick it up.


Edit: Holy shit if this is them reviving The Crossing. I loved what I saw of that way back on The 1UP Show.

 

[Deleted member 11093]

Hype! Even if it's online it could still be good. I loved Prey but I lost my save when I was 80% into the story, lost all interest after that despite liking the game, don't have the will to start it all over :( Still, it was really good.

 

[Hindle]

That's a relief.

My fav genre is still alive.

 

[vereor]

Prey is one of the best game of the year, criminally underrated

 

[Deleted member 11413]

Thank God this studio isn't dead. Prey was fantastic, and honestly I don't mind online features being added to an immersive sim, could be very interesting

 

[HeisenbergWW62]

Fantastic news

I don't mind the game having online features as long as it's still enjoyable to play solo and the online doesn't detract from that

Prey is a masterpiece

 

[Oreiller]

I think an online immersive sim could have a huge potential. I really should get to playing Prey though...

 

[purseowner]

YES.

Prey is a masterpiece.

 

[Emka]

 

[Arsic]

Prey is still my GOTY this year .

I'm up for anything they want to make. Day 1.

 

[RoboitoAM]

If this one flops too, idk what Bethesda will do next. Anything that moves their franchises away from goddamn awful custom forks is welcomed in my books.

 

[Sp3ratus]

Prey was fantastic, I'm down for whatever Arkane Austin turns out. Don't mind the idea of online elements being introduced, if it's even close to as good as Prey is.

 

[Molemitts]

Prey was great. Hopefully they don't feel the need to compromise the kind of game they want to make and can begin to find the audience they deserve. Interested to see what the online stuff will be.

 

[Xumbrega]

That's very nice, and the System Shock remake is coming next year too!

One of the best genres out there, I'm glad it's not dead, too bad Deus Ex is gone for now :(.

 

[Landford]

Immersive sim with souls like online would be a dream game.

 

[Jyrii]

I had a lot of problems with Prey, but it was still pretty interesting. Nice to see they can keep going and doing immersive sims.

 

[More_Badass]

The Crossing sounds interesting. Single player missions where other players take control of enemies

From Wikipedia

The Crossing attempted to fuse single-player and multiplayer gaming, allowing human players to take the place of enemies in the single-player campaign. The players who take on the role of AI grunts play a team-based deathmatch game, with the additional goal of trying to kill or protect the one or two more powerful players who are playing through the story. This amalgamation was dubbed "crossplayer" by Arkane.

The game also was to include a team-based multiplayer mode called skirmish, which is also incorporated into the single-player campaign, where the main player might try to avoid the skirmish.

Click to shrink...

 

[Vasilisk Witcher]

Prey is fantastic, so I'm very relieved that Bethesda is giving them funding for their next game, I don't mind the online part if they keep doing their inmersive games.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Cant blame them for having online after having so many good single player games underperform.

 

[Dabi3]

Prey was such an underrated game. I'm glad they're still sticking to their bread and butter. Will keep a look out for this one.

 

[Fiery Phoenix]

I'll take it. I believe Harvey Smith is currently helming the studio.

 

[More_Badass]

From a few years ago

 

[Aniki]

I'm just happy that they can create another game. I will first have to see what those online features entail before i make up my mind. After Prey, i can't feel anything else than hype for their next game though.

 

[Derrick01]

Prey is my goty but I can't be excited until I know how limited the online focus is. It'll be heartbreaking if it's online only or a very heavy multi focus.

 

[Hopping_Mad]

Is Prey still getting its survival mode or what? I want my weapon repairing and advanced traumas.

 

[ilium]

I'm definitely open to some experimentation on the formular and I love a good co-op experience anyway

 

[IfSleepoversCouldTalk]

Prey was low-key top three this year so I'm happy.

 

[Raytheon]

Hm, I wonder if online could really be the way forward for these immersive sims? I'll be really interested to see if this turns out. The magic of Dishonored and Prey was exploring the spaces they created though, so as long as the fun level design is still present I'm in.

 

[JarlRaven]

Will be there to support them day one. I can see a lot of potential with an online focus that I hope will pay off for them.

 

[Blizz]

Prey was an amazing experience, so I'm anxious to see what's up next.

 

[Vinc]

It's pretty rare that we'll see developers make a complete 180 from their usual strengths, I'm guessing they'll try to make something a little more in line with market trends, but that still plays to their strengths. I wonder what that'll look like in the end. Whatever it ends up being, I'm excited to see it!

 

[Cryptosporidium]

God I hate first person in immersive sims.. It was a big hurdle for me to get over in dishonoured which I loved but seriously I cant get into Dishonoured 2 because of the perspective

 

[Blabadon]

I don't care if they make games I hate (barely played Prey or Dishonored though), if they're making games in this genre people like I hope they keep it up.

 

[medyej]

Hell yes! Prey was amazing. Not thrilled about the move to id tech but makes sense since Bethesda owns it.

 

[Deleted member 18379]

Shame that these triple A pubs would rather chase trends than shift expectations, budgets and marketing strategies. Can't enjoy some of the money, have to have all of it.

 

[smuguire]

Prey is one of the best games in a long time. With the amount of good games that are out, I almost never replay single-player stuff these days, but I was only a few hours into Prey before I knew with 100% certainty that I'd be playing it again at some point.

 

[Aniki]

Shame that these triple A pubs would rather chase trends than shift expectations, budgets and marketing strategies. Can't enjoy some of the money, have to have all of it.

Click to shrink...

I don't blame them. Some of their games were heavily marketed as well. But that didn't help them. I just hope that the online features will serve the singleplayer and not the other way around. Were the singleplayer content will just be an addon.

 

[shimon]

Great. I'm sure it'll be some time before any news about it but can't wait.

 

[Paul]

Well, Dishonored 2 was my GOTY 2016 (tied with Blood and Wine) and Prey is my GOTY 2017, so I am in for anything they create, as long as I can play it solo. I don't even mind if I meet other players from time to time or whatever, just make it have a story, great level design and atmosphere, and don't force me to depend on other people for my playtime, and I am game.

Still would prefer if they focused on singleplayer games only, but given the low sales of their three projects, I can understand Bethesda not wanting to let them anymore.

Although, if only they gave them, say...Fallout spin-off to work on...that would sell even while singleplayer.

 

[UncannyPulsar]

Given the circumstances this is really good news.
This new approach to a genre mainly focused on singleplayer could be really interesting. If there's a genre more suitable to step out of its comfort zone and try new things, that genre/type of games are the immersive sims.

Arkane is one of the best developers around so I'm sure they will come up with something good.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

As far as immersive sims goes, there's the System Shock 1 remake and System Shock 3 in development as well as Underworld Ascendant so this genre ain't going anywhere yet, thankfully. If Obsidian announce they're making one as well, that'd be great.

To be fair to Bethesda here, they tried pushing so many single player games and with them all seemingly bombing or just about not meeting expectations, it's no wonder really. As long as they keep the single player games in tact as they were before, I'll be fine with online elements (as long as it doesn't ruin or intrude the design of the main game).

 

[Derrick01]

Hm, I wonder if online could really be the way forward for these immersive sims?

Click to shrink...

I would rather they go dormant again if that's the case. Sometimes death is preferable to watching a genre become a shell of itself or an embarrassment.

There's a million multiplayer/co-op games out there for people who need that stuff. A separate online mode that's easily ignored (like Doom's) would be fine but it seems like it's never just that anymore. It always infests the single player in some way, or it's never single player to begin with it's one of these awful "shared world" games.

 

[Hopping_Mad]

As far as immersive sims goes, there's the System Shock 1 remake and System Shock 3 in development as well as Underworld Ascendant so this genre ain't going anywhere yet, thankfully. If Obsidian announce they're making one as well, that'd be great.

Click to shrink...

Underworld 3 looks bad. The devs of ss1 remake backpedalled on their remake into a "modern" reimagining, and ss3 means nothing after we have seen that developers with great legacies can lay humongous eggs (yooka laylee). Epic mickey was trash. Skepticism is high.

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

x

 

[gcwy]

'Online focus' is concerning. But I'm glad it's not online-only.

 

[708]

Although, if only they gave them, say...Fallout TES spin-off to work on...that would sell even while singleplayer.

Click to shrink...

This is actually my dream.
I also think they should let Arkane design the combat system of TES VI.

 

[Hopping_Mad]

This is actually my dream.
I also think they should let Arkane design the combat system of TES VI.

Click to shrink...

Dark Messiah combat in a TES game. That would be something.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

Underworld 3 looks bad. The devs of ss1 remake backpedalled on their remake into a "modern" reimagining, and ss3 means nothing after we have seen that developers with great legacies can lay humongous eggs (yooka laylee). Epic mickey was trash. Skepticism is high.

Click to shrink...

I never said they would be good or bad, just that the genre isn't going anywhere yet.