Prey - Arkane Interview

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PCGamer talked to Arkane who had a lot to say about Prey.

"Dishonored is probably the legacy of Thief," says Raphael Colantonio, CEO of Arkane and creative director of Prey. "Prey is the legacy of something like System Shock." And, just like that game, it takes place on a space station.

Prey is set on Talos I, an orbital space station created to research shadowy non-terrestrial lifeforms that, surprise, has now been overrun by shadowy non-terrestrial lifeforms. Built from the shell of a Soviet satellite, the station is owned by the TranStar Corporation. It's a lavish art deco space, augmented by futuristic technology-reminiscent of BioShock, albeit more functional and without the whale. You play Morgan Yu, a man (or woman) with ties to TranStar's neuroscience research program.

As part of Yu's involvement in Talos I's psychotronics division, you're able to scan and acquire powers from the aliens-known as Typhons. There are survivors, but Yu will spend much of his time alone in the abandoned sectors of Talos I. Survival is a matter of using your tools, upgrading your powers and manipulating your environment. And sometimes transforming into a coffee mug.

Arkane's attitude to systems design is summarised by a picture hanging on the wall of its Austin studio. Among a selection of motivational posters depicting Prey's core design pillars is an image of Just Cause 2's Rico riding on top of an airliner. The accompanying text reads, "Say yes to the player."

"It's an instinct we try to cultivate," says Ricardo Bare, Prey's lead designer. "When you're playing a game and you hit an obstacle, you're just naturally like, 'I'm going to try this.' We try, as developers, to remember that instinct and say yes to it."​