Prey developer Arkane Austin could be working on a fantasy game

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It looks as though the next game from the developers of Prey is a fantasy game built in the Unreal Engine. The LinkedIn profile of one of the studio’s staff could offer some of the first hints as to what Arkane Austin is working on.

Twitter user bogorad222 spotted the information on the LinkedIn page (opens in new tab) of Lisa Charriere, a senior VFX artist who joined Arkane Austin in October 2018. Carriere’s profile lists several former projects, including one “unannounced project in Unreal 4 (fantasy).”

Arkane Studios Austin is working on a fantasy game using Unreal Engine 4. pic.twitter.com/2RGQTf3A6EJanuary 12, 2021

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While it’s possible that that project is from a former employer, there are a number of clues that suggest that Charriere is referring to a game that’s in current development. Firstly, Arkane Austin director Harvey Smith recently announced that he’s working on a new game, the first time the studio has made any real reference to its ongoing work since 2017’s Prey. Secondly, since Charriere has been at Arkane for a couple of years, it seems unlikely that projects from previous employers would still be in the dark. Finally, Arkane has used the Unreal Engine before, for the original Dishonored. It’s since moved on, using new tech for both Prey and Dishonored 2, but it’s possible that the Austin studio could be looking to move again if it’s working on a different IP.

Beyond that fantasy tag, it’s difficult to get any sense of what Arkane Austin could be working on. It’s pretty safe to assume that it’s not a follow-up to Prey, which exists firmly in the realms of science fiction, and the use of Unreal Engine would suggest it’s not Dishonored, which has used Arkane’s own engine since Dishonored 2 launched in 2016. That said, the stealthy series certainly leans towards fantasy, and has been pretty quiet since 2017’s Death of the Outsider, so the timing is definitely in Corvo and Emily’s favour.

For everything you need to know about Arkane’s next game, check out our Deathloop game guide.