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Human Head Studios Announces Rune: Ragnarok

User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#1

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In 2000, Human Head Studios released Rune, an action adventure built in the Unreal Engine and featuring a hack-and-slashing Viking named Ragnar. Since then, the studio has developed a number of games including 2006's Prey and has contributed to others like Bioshock Infinite and Batman: Arkham Origins. Today it's announcing a return to its roots. A sequel to Rune is in the works, an open world RPG called Rune: Ragnarok. There's a teaser trailer above.

Ragnarok is "set in a dangerous Norse universe during the end of days" and places players "in the middle of an epic battle where gods, beasts, and the last remaining humans struggle to survive" according to Human Head Studios' press release.

"After seventeen years, we are thrilled to finally announce a new Rune game," says project director Chris Rhinehart. "In the spirit of the original, Rune: Ragnarok has intense and brutal combat in a world steeped in Norse mythology. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve created."




This post has been edited by Mr. Tibbs: 28 August 2017 - 01:17 PM

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User is offline   Toxic34 

#2

Well, it's good to see that Human Head is finally moving to make a new game after having had their legs cut out from under them when Prey 2 was canned. If this game is hugely successful, which I'm sure it will be, maybe they can work to rebuild Prey 2 and the plot and story into a new title.
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#3

Sequel to Rune?! Sign me up!

Oh, it's a sandbox open-world RPG? I'll pass, then...
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User is offline   Micky C 

  • Honored Donor

#4

View PostToxic34, on 28 August 2017 - 02:14 PM, said:

Well, it's good to see that Human Head is finally moving to make a new game after having had their legs cut out from under them when Prey 2 was canned. If this game is hugely successful, which I'm sure it will be, maybe they can work to rebuild Prey 2 and the plot and story into a new title.


I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to do anything with the assets created for Prey 2. They could probably start a new game from scratch with a similar concept and game mechanics though?

The original Prey 2's visuals would look a bit dated these days anyway.

This post has been edited by Micky C: 28 August 2017 - 03:00 PM

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User is offline   leilei 

#5

Here's hoping to no round 4 of publisher-induced meddlingness. Unfortunately it would've been a hard sell for a linear Rune-like chopsliceventure in this post-Witcher3 world, especially with that Vikings game, and the heavy Norse influence in Skyrim...

This post has been edited by leilei: 29 August 2017 - 05:12 PM

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#6

Rune was very cool, and this being by the same studio (though maybe there's been a big change of staff etc) is also cool. Badass game, so this could have potential. Like mentioned above this being open world does sound like the possible downside, I love a well done open world game but it's a crowded area and from what I would guess is a less huge budget game it could make an empty feeling world with a lot of wandering around etc.

So here's hoping this has some cool level design and flow to it (as we always pimp here on Duke4), even though it's open world. Maybe just some cool ass castles and weird places to explore etc. The combat being badass is what I think is most likely to deliver.

This post has been edited by PsychoGoatee: 29 August 2017 - 05:34 PM

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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#7

View Postleilei, on 29 August 2017 - 05:10 PM, said:

Here's hoping to no round 4 of publisher-induced meddlingness. Unfortunately it would've been a hard sell for a linear Rune-like chopsliceventure in this post-Witcher3 world, especially with that Vikings game, and the heavy Norse influence in Skyrim...

They've opted for a new publisher where they retain the rights to the licence. It's also a PC exclusive.

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Development of Rune: Ragnarok is being funded by ESDF Management, a video game production and finance company.

“Rune: Ragnarok is the first video game we’ve committed to financing. We’re incredibly excited to support the vision that our partners at Human Head Studios have offered for long-time fans and newcomers to Rune alike,” said ESDF Managing Partner, Matt Candler.

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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#8

After 17 years, some things stay the same.
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User is offline   OpenMaw 

  • Judge Mental

#9

Hahaha, that's awesome. I love it.

Man, this one has me really excited. One of those nice little surprises you don't expect. :)

Mostly, i'm just glad to see Human Head is alive and well. They deserve success after everything they've gone through.
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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#10

Wccftech interview with Chris Rhinehart on Rune Ragnarok.

http://wccftech.com/...arok-interview/
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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#11

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There's a new article out on VentureBeat about the outfit that's funding Rune: Ragnarok. ESDF, a capital firm, is being partially funded by the PUBG dudes.

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“We want to produce games we’re fans of. The kind we really want to play when we hear about them, which is exactly what happened with this new sequel to Rune. We deploy smart development practices to be able to rapidly respond to fan feedback … while the process for creating hits is sometimes elusive and unexpected, there are those amazing times when you catch a shooting star. We look forward to sharing more games in the ESDF pipeline as they get closer to release.”


There's also a really fun quiz over on the official Rune website, that offers a run down of various scenarios, and rewards you with a Norse God alignment when you finish.
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User is offline   leilei 

#12

View PostMr. Tibbs, on 25 October 2017 - 12:35 AM, said:

funded by the PUBG dudes.

*crosses fingers even harder for the pubg bubble to not burst and wreck humanhead a new one by the time it's out*
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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#13


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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#14

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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#15

The first gameplay trailer is live:

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User is offline   Zaxx 

  • Banned

#16

View PostMr. Tibbs, on 23 January 2018 - 10:36 AM, said:

The first gameplay trailer is live

This looks super bad but it's pre-alpha so here's hoping that when they release some ACTUAL gameplay we'll be blown away.

Here's what's bugging me though: seems like Human Head is missing a niche here with this game. We have a lot of hack n slash action RPGs now (and well, there's another little game that will explore the Norse mythology... God of War 4) while the Prince of Persia style 3D platformer / action adventure sub genre is dead... so why not make a game like that? Have some awesome fluid platforming, a good combat system that offers more than Warrior Within, puzzles based around logical thinking, metroidvania level design and progression and there, you have a blast of a game that is able to fill a hole in the market. As it stands I get the feeling that HH is walking into the ocean with this one while PoP: The Sands of Time is a true work of art, a cult classic in every sense of the word and one the best fucking video games ever created. Someone rip it off already, I'd pay George Broussard's weight in gold for another game like that! :dukecigar:

This post has been edited by Zaxx: 26 January 2018 - 06:39 PM

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User is offline   Zaxx 

  • Banned

#17

View PostZaxx, on 26 January 2018 - 06:23 PM, said:

This looks super bad but it's pre-alpha so here's hoping that when they release some ACTUAL gameplay we'll be blown away.

Nope, it's garbage:


Well, here's hoping that when they release some beta gameplay we'll be blown away. :)
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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#18

The first video is very rough, but not surprising since the game has only been in development for eight months, but the second looks good to me, and judging by the comments on Facebook and Twitter, most people who've seen it. The game's just called Rune now, and it sounds like the team's received more funds to substantially increase the scope of the project.
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User is offline   Zaxx 

  • Banned

#19

View PostMr. Tibbs, on 03 March 2018 - 04:58 PM, said:

The first video is very rough, but not surprising since the game has only been in development for eight months, but the second looks good to me, and judging by the comments on Facebook and Twitter, most people who've seen it. The game's just called Rune now, and it sounds like the team's received more funds to substantially increase the scope of the project.

But where the hell is the combat system? This is Rune in 2018, strafing and hacking in the air like an idiot? It seems like they are developing some uninspired soulslike bullshit while what a badass action-adventure game needs right now is parrying, combos, tight doding, blocks and counters = tactical, kinetic gameplay instead of this fucking atrocity. I really don't care how many times you downvote my comments just because you happen to disagree with them, so far this is trash and it belongs in a trash can. If things improve I'll change my opinion but at this point this is just another soulslike game the genre absolutely doesn't need.

This post has been edited by Zaxx: 03 March 2018 - 05:19 PM

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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#20

I only downvoted you because you said "we'll" both times, either implying you were speaking on behalf of someone else or had a dissociative identity disorder. :)

This post has been edited by Mr. Tibbs: 03 March 2018 - 05:24 PM

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User is offline   Zaxx 

  • Banned

#21

View PostMr. Tibbs, on 03 March 2018 - 05:23 PM, said:

I only downvoted you because you said "we'll" both times, either implying you were speaking on behalf of someone else or had a dissociative identity disorder.

I said "we" because if you haven't heard the consensus in the general audience so far is that the game will be bad. You should really read some comments that are not from the echo chamber of the tiny fanbase, even Metal Gear Survive was picked up by 50 000 people on Steam, you know (roughly half of them even liked it). You can just feel the excitement for the new Rune here too, I mean the thread is so full of comments! :)

Edit: Btw. that announcement about the name change on the official site screams "It's a live service now, guys!" at me more than anything else.

This post has been edited by Zaxx: 03 March 2018 - 05:38 PM

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User is offline   Zaxx 

  • Banned

#22

So this became Epic exlusive (because of course it did) and just came out. The launch trailer seems really bad:

Anyone planning on buying it? Is it any good? Honestly it looks like the Darksiders 3 of 2019: a janky game that just couldn't live up to expectations because the budget wasn't there.

This post has been edited by Zaxx: 12 November 2019 - 11:39 AM

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User is offline   HulkNukem 

#23

I'm waiting for a Steam release where I'll likely play it coop with a friend of mine.
We actually played original Rune way back and I made some custom maps for it. I'd make them with lots of hidden passageways or invisible walls that were impossible to know were there unless you made the map, so I'd stalk him around the maps :o
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User is offline   Zaxx 

  • Banned

#24

Human Head is no more, reforms under Bethesda as Roundhouse Studios:
https://wccftech.com...os-at-bethesda/
That was unexpected.
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User is offline   MusicallyInspired 

  • The Sarien Encounter

#25

Whoa! I thought they didn't have the best relationship?
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User is offline   HulkNukem 

#26

I dug a little deeper

Human Head is still alive, they have an agreement to continue to support Rune 2 and it will still release on Steam next year.
Ragnarok Game is the publisher, and apparently they just found out about all this at the same time everyone else did. They now have to hire more people to continue working on Rune 2 with a few key members staying at Human Head while the rest left to Bethesda.

With Bethesda opening a new studio for all these members moving from Human Head instead of just buying the studio outright, to me it basically means Human Head was obligated to finish Rune 2 as well as support it but Bethesda didn't want that, so Bethesda just formed a new studio so they can work on something new instead.
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User is offline   Avoozl 

#27

I wish Human Head could get back all the canceled Prey 2 resources and make a game with them under a different name not tied to the Prey franchise, I would still be interested in it even without the Prey name.

This post has been edited by Avoozl: 13 November 2019 - 04:13 PM

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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#28

View PostHulkNukem, on 13 November 2019 - 02:30 PM, said:

I dug a little deeper

Human Head is still alive, they have an agreement to continue to support Rune 2 and it will still release on Steam next year.
Ragnarok Game is the publisher, and apparently they just found out about all this at the same time everyone else did. They now have to hire more people to continue working on Rune 2 with a few key members staying at Human Head while the rest left to Bethesda.

With Bethesda opening a new studio for all these members moving from Human Head instead of just buying the studio outright, to me it basically means Human Head was obligated to finish Rune 2 as well as support it but Bethesda didn't want that, so Bethesda just formed a new studio so they can work on something new instead.

Human Head/Roadhouse aren't involved anymore. Their obligation ended when the studio was shuttered, so the publisher needs to find a new team for post-launch support, which they clearly weren't informed of ahead of time.
https://twitter.com/...751668769804288
https://twitter.com/...776234196193284
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User is offline   HulkNukem 

#29

View PostMr. Tibbs, on 13 November 2019 - 05:05 PM, said:

Human Head/Roadhouse aren't involved anymore. Their obligation ended when the studio was shuttered, so the publisher needs to find a new team for post-launch support, which they clearly weren't informed of ahead of time.
https://twitter.com/...751668769804288
https://twitter.com/...776234196193284


Yeah, I misread their (@play_rune) tweet about it. Humanhead is dead and gone but all the staff is at the new Bethesda studio, meanwhile there's still a few people working on Rune 2 but need to hire more to continue working on it.

I always want to give the benefit of the doubt, but man shit is always so shady when Bethesda/Zenimax is involved

Also its always weird to see people piss on Arkane's Prey as if it replaced Humanhead's Prey 2; it wasn't made instead of Prey 2, they just kept the same name. We could've had both games exist.

This post has been edited by HulkNukem: 13 November 2019 - 05:51 PM

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User is offline   Mr. Tibbs 

#30

View PostHulkNukem, on 13 November 2019 - 05:48 PM, said:

meanwhile there's still a few people working on Rune 2 but need to hire more to continue working on it.

Unfortunately, those who remain at Ragnarok, LLC aren't developers but social media people and the ESDF owners, so any updates will be a long while coming. I can't think of an instance were a developer took over another team's project and it ended up okay. Even though it got terrible sales and reviews, maybethe Splatterhouse reboot could count, a charmingly goofy horror title, though it sounds like it was hell on the studio.
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