Fans may be disappointed, but relieved to hear that "Prey 2" will not be cancelled but only delayed due to unsatisfactory progress.
According to game publisher Bethesda, the development of the game was not satisfactory all year long. The company also dismissed rumors that the project was cancelled.
"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," said Bethesda in a statement.
"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, added Bethesda."
The rumors of cancellation emerged after reports from "PSFocus" said that Bethesda quietly pulled the plug on the game as a preview at the Game Developer's Conference was cancelled along with little news about continual development.
Prey 2's delay would allow the developers to work out bugs and incomplete part of the game in order to deliver a higher quality product at launch day. Though there were disappointments that the game will not be released in 2012, fans may be relieved that Bethesda is ensuring Prey 2 will be done right based on higher standards.
Players control protagonist Marshal Killian Samuels, a U.S. Marshal, who is taken to another planet after his plane crashed. Samuels would later become a bounty hunter on the alien world called Exodus.
Bethesda plans to have the game release set for 2013, though no official date has been announced. The wait might be indefinite as no release window was given.
