Prey (2017 video game)

Prey is a 2017 first-person shooter immersive sim video game developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda Softworks. It occurs in an alternate timeline in which mankind has taken to orbital stations following an accelerated Space Race. The player plays as Morgan Yu, a member of a scientific team aboard the space station Talos I researching the Typhon, a hostile alien force with both physical and psychic powers. As the Typhon escapes confinement, the player uses various weapons and abilities to survive, progressing to end the alien outbreak and ultimately escape. The player gradually gains access to areas of Talos I through linear mission progression until they can explore the station freely, acquiring key items and abilities along the way.

Development of the game started after Arkane Austin completed its work on Dishonored (2012). Raphaël Colantonio served as the title's director. Arkane's Prey is largely unrelated to the 2006 game Prey or its cancelled sequel. It did not use any of the planned sequel's assets and only incorporated the previous game's name and the broad theme of the protagonist being hunted by aliens. Arkane built Prey as a spiritual successor to System Shock (1994), giving players multiple avenues to approach and tackle missions while considering the Talos I station a thematic reinterpretation of the underground dungeon from their debut game, Arx Fatalis (2002). The game combines elements of first-person shooters, role-playing video games, stealth games, and Metroidvanias in its design. Aliens in the game were designed to be enigmatic, with their design being inspired by paranormal elements rather than stereotypical insect- or lizard-like species.

The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on May 5, 2017. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the game's setting, level design, environmental storytelling, and themes, though its main story and gameplay received a mixed response. Retrospectively, the game has been recognized by several gaming publications as one of the best immersive sims released to date. Arkane released an expansion named Mooncrash, which adds procedural generation and gameplay elements found in roguelike games. Arkane also introduced a multiplayer update named Typhon Hunter, which incorporates the Typhon shapeshifting abilities in a hide-and-seek-style game. The game's disappointing commercial performance resulted in Arkane Austin pivoting to making live service games such as Redfall (2023).