2K's futuristic alien shooter Prey was part of the ongoing Steam end-of-the-year sale, until they ran out. That's right, Steam is completely sold out of a downloadable title, running out of keys for the game before the sale could run its course. How does this happen? Well this is speculation, but I would assume a game like Prey requires some sort of CD key, which are generated by the company selling it on Steam, and there is a finite number of them available.

That, or they were stolen by key gnomes. Goddamned key gnomes.

It isn't a total loss, however. 2K has replaced Prey in the sale with 75% off of BioShock. $4.99 BioShock trumps Prey at any price.

Thanks to everyone who sent in this tip, especially Klaus, who saved me the trouble of pressing the print screen button.

The Prey trademark was assigned to ZeniMax Media in July by The Radar Group, which acquired it from Apogee the previous month. Superannuation discovered the trademark change-of-hands along with two new trademark applications submitted by ZeniMax regarding the Prey property, specifically for:

Entertainment services in the nature of an on-going television program in the field of science fiction; Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line interactive computer games and providing information relating to electronic computer games via the internet

as well as:

Computer and video game user instruction manuals; magazines, books, and pamphlets concerning video games; computer and video game strategy guide books and magazines; graphic novels, novels, and comic books, all in the fields of video games and science fiction

Now what would ZeniMax want with a solid if a bit under-performing first-person shooter IP?

Trademark Assignment [Superannuation via Actiontrip]

Yes, Prey. You know. American Indians, spike machines, assholes on the wall, that Prey. Somehow, somebody, somewhere thought porting the game to the iPhone would be a good idea, so, uh, here we are.

MachineWorks Northwest are on development detail, promising a game that's not only a properly 3D shooter on the iPhone, but one that thanks to some on-screen "analogue" controls might actually control like one. Might. It even keeps the gravity-defying wall-walking of the original.

No word on a release date or price as of yet.

Exclusive: Prey for iPhone Revealed [IGN]

Here's a deal you can sink your teeth into: this weekend only, pick up the acclaimed first person shooter Prey for just $4.95.

In Prey, players enter a living spaceship which enslaves alien races and devours humans for lunch. Prey turns the first person shooter genre upside down with awesome new gameplay features like wall-walking and gravity flipping, making for intense single-player and multi-player experiences.

Prey is built on a heavily modded version of the Doom 3 engine and is developed by critically acclaimed developer Human Head Studios under the direction of 3D Realms.

As I noted before: "I thought it might be fun to reprint highlights here on Kotaku, and compare and contrast them to what's happened to their careers since then - and how their statements have held up over time."

For the second instalment, let's check out a chat with 3D Realms' owner/partner Scott Miller, originally conducted in 1997 by me for Videogamedesign.com, and discussing Max Payne, Prey, John Carmack, and the Duke Nukem franchise. How did Scott's prognostications work out, a decade later? Let's see...

Does having a major Apogee/3DRealms external developer like Remedy such a darn long way away (Finland!) make things tricky? How have you tried to get round this problem?

It's not too tricky, thanks to the Internet and email. Plus, they've come to visit several times and we meet at every E3. The Internet has compressed the world into a much smaller space. We get milestone CD burns from Remedy every month, and have a round of discussions based on the current state of the game. Mark my words: Remedy will soon be recognized as one of the world's leading independent PC developers.

(Thanks to the success of Remedy's Max Payne and its sequel, Remedy still has a reputation as a leading developer - with many eagerly awaiting 2008's Alan Wake. Good pick, Scott.)

If you could steal one coder for your company, who would it be?

I have the utmost respect for John Carmack as a coder. He amazed me back in 1990 when Apogee first brought id into the shareware industry. Over the years that we worked together I spent a lot of time talking to John picking his brain and trying to figure out how he came upon his innovative solutions to problems other coders couldn't solve—trying to understand his genius. He was always three steps ahead of anyone else in the industry. His strength is not in his programming skills—it's in the fact that he's very accurate at predicting which future technologies are most important and appropriate to pursue. John probably has better binoculars than anyone else in this industry.

(Already legendary by the time of this interview, Carmack would still be many people's top pick for a coder to steal, ten years later, thanks to his new work on the Rage engine.)

Do you think you started promoting "Prey" too early?

Not at all. Prey is actually two projects. The first one was cancelled after a year of struggling with which direction to take it. The second and current Prey incarnation has very little to do with that first project called Prey, because it has entirely different objectives, and a new staff running the show. When Prey is released, it will have been a two year project, which for a game as ambitious as this, is not too long. Plus, unlike some games long in development, like Stonekeep and Descent to Undermountain, Prey when released will be a cutting-edge game in both gameplay and technology.

(Oh boy, those games being used for comparison! Prey was subsequently canceled in this second form (and a partial third form), before being resurrected by 3D Realms and Human Head. It was finally released 9 years later, in 2006. However, Miller was somewhat true to his word - Prey was 'cutting-edge... in both gameplay and technology', in many ways. So goodish things really _do_ come to those who wait, eh?)

Why so many add-on level packs for Duke Nukem?

Simple: They keep selling.

Our marketing manager at our Duke Nukem publisher, GT Interactive Software, recently remarked that anything they slap "Duke Nukem" on sells. If you combine all the different Duke versions, Duke add-ons and the number of Duke games that we sell direct, Duke would be the top selling game since its release nearly two years ago. As an game property, Duke is probably one of the top five in all of gaming, right up there with Mario, Lara Croft, and Flight Simulator.

(OK, this one is a bit close to the ever-fabled Duke Nukem 'Forever' territory. Still, it's an interesting question - is Duke Nukem still a leading game character, even now?)

Original Interview With Scott Miller [GameGeekPeeks]

The building that houses game developer Human Head Studios, the creators of Prey, was the victim of a huge fire yesterday morning in it's hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. While there are no reported injuries, the report from Channel3000.com reports that the building, which houses several other businesses in addition to Human Head, suffered major damage. The majority of the fire seemed to be mostly contained in the back half of the building but it is unknown whether Human Head itself was affected. Hopefully they managed to escape unscathed, but the damage sounds pretty extensive. Until more is known, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope for the best. Good luck, Human Head, our thoughts are with you. Flynn De Marco

Massive Fire Destroys East Side Building [Channel3000.com - Thanks, Chris]

This game starts off with Tommy, the Cherokee hero from the last game, crashing his jeep and stumbling onto the entrance to a mysterious structure that launches him on a wild adventure that incorporates many of the same enemies, weapons, and gravity mechanics of the original.

Wait, he crashes his car? The guy saves the entire world, battles alien hordes, and understands complex alien technology, but has all the driving skills of a Native American Toonces? Lame.
Michael Fahey

SkyZone Entertainment And MachineWorks NorthWest Announce Publishing Agreement To Bring Hit Property To Mobile

First-Person Shooter Brings Gravity-Flipping Gameplay to Mobile Space

Fort Lee, NJ, and Salem, OR - April 17, 2007 - SkyZone Entertainment, Inc., a mobile entertainment provider, and MachineWorks Northwest, a premier game developer for mobile and native platforms, today announced that SkyZone will publish an original game based on Prey, the award-winning hit released in 2006 on the Xbox 360 and PC platforms. Packed with all of the features and stunning visual effects that made the original so successful, this new mobile Prey is wrapped in a fresh storyline with several new locations and an original score.

After crashing and rolling his jeep not far from his reservation, Tommy regains consciousness and sets out in search of help. He treks down a canyon for hours, finally coming upon the entrance to a mysterious structure.and so begins this new adventure within the compelling Prey universe.

Taking advantage of the mainstream penetration of high-end consumer handsets, Prey will be available on a variety of formats, including BREW, and playable across a broad array of mobile phones. The game is scheduled for availability across all major carriers in summer 2007. The announcement between MachineWorks Northwest and SkyZone is part of a multi-title agreement to bring several high-end action games to the mobile platform.

"Our relationship with MachineWorks is designed to bring the best of PC and console entertainment to mobile, and we think titles such as Prey will significantly change the way people think and feel about gaming on handheld devices," said Neil Haldar, Vice President of Content Programming and Strategy for SkyZone Entertainment, Inc. "These next-generation 3D graphics and familiar game mechanics are everything you'd expect from a MachineWorks-developed game, and there will be huge appeal among both hardcore gamers and mass-market consumers looking for compelling 3D gaming."

"SkyZone has long been a champion of bringing innovative 3D mobile titles to market, and this agreement marks a new era in mobile gaming," said Andreas Vasen, CEO of MachineWorks Northwest. "MachineWorks and SkyZone share a common view about what makes a great game and how to get the most from today's technical requirements to deliver a console and PC-like experience."

Initial reactions to Prey Mobile have been very positive. ".[It's ]the most graphically advanced Mobile game I have ever seen," said Levi Buchanan of IGNwireless.com. Theo Valich of The Inquirer wrote, "Prey is pretty much the most impressive mobile game we've seen so far." Running on Machineworks Ripp3D software engine, Prey is highly optimized for BREW, Windows Mobile and Symbian handsets.

The relationship between SkyZone and MachineWorks extends the strong history the two companies share in bringing popular brands and game licenses to mobile. Previous hit titles include Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem Mobile, Duke Nukem Mobile 3D), Stargate SG-1, and the recently released Rocky Balboa 3D. As part of the multi-title agreement, other games will be announced in the coming months.

5. Guitar Hero II

4. Elite Beat Agents

3. Grandia III

2. Kingdom Hearts 2

1. Prey - Don't Fear the Reaper

So that's my list of the best gaming songs of 2006, complete with visual aids to help you along. Completely arbitrary of course, so feel free to add your own to the list. Share your favorites with us! I'll be sure to check them out if I manage to survive this weekend's festivities. Until then, Happy New Year! Michael Fahey

After their first digital distribution platform Triton went belly up, 3D Realms has found a new home for their sci-fi FPS baby, Prey. I'll give you three guesses. Yep, Steam. Right outta the gate. Good job.

From the official Steam site:

Prey will be available Thursday, November 30 on Steam for $49.95. Previous purchasers of the retail or downloaded editions of Prey can activate a copy on Steam at no cost by using their existing product key.

In other news, I hear Valve's Gabe Newell is putting a new addition on his house. Gotta put those piles of cash somewhere. Michael McWhertor

Steam - Now With Extra Prey!
Your Triton Asplode: Prey Downloaders Screwed [Kotaku]

Anyone who downloaded Prey using the Triton download service is currently fucked. What, proper fucked?

After checking into it, we have been informed that the Triton service is shutting down - we should have some information about this situation shortly.

I don't have any further information about how things will all play with with keys, reg codes, Triton, logging in, or anything else at this time.

This was posted just today by OBWANDO, Triton staffmember:

[...]there will be a patch that will remove the online dependency for the games as promised and allow you to play, backup and reinstall your game that you purchased as you see fit.

[...]

For those that purchased Prey, I have talked with Take 2, 3D Realms, and Human Head studios. 2K has set up a replacement program for customers who purchased Prey via the Triton download service.A new boxed copy of Prey will be shipped to each customer who purchased the game via Triton and www.playtriton.com.

If Triton delivers on the patch and boxed games in a timely manner, this won't be so bad. If not, you can expect a lot more hooplah. Eliza Gauger

Triton Implodes, Prey Downloaders Cheated [Aeropause]

Excellent. Some new maps have been released on Marketplace for everyone's favorite Dyson-Sphere-Meets-Alien-Vagina game, Prey. Content includes 5 new multiplayer characters and a few deathmatch maps, so single players need look elsewhere. But it's free, which is always refreshing. Florian Eckhardt

Prey: In-Game Content [Major Nelson]

The pack will include some new multiplayer skins (Jen, Elhuit, etc.) and some new multiplayer maps. 3DR says that both are coming along nicely, but they still haven't figured out exactly how many of each will be included when the pack hits Marketplace and their site.

There's no date set for when the pack will hit, they will hit, says Mr. 3DR Guy, "when they're done." Ooooh, lets hope that's not the standard "When they're done" time, which apparently means never. Brian Crecente

What would happen if a disillusioned Native American was taken aboard a Dyson Sphere and made to walk upside down through doorways in the shape of gigantic dripping extra-terrestrial jelly holes? Prey bravely asked that question, and now, perhaps, readies to ask it again.

2K Games, the publisher of Prey, dropped some tasty hints to 1UP about the possibility of more content... perhaps as either downloadable over Live or the Internet, or perhaps as an expansion pack. It could also potentially be free. But don't count on that one.

More excitingly, 3D Realms' CEO Scott Miller claimed that he is currently working on Prey 2... no doubt tentatively subtitled "Die Hard In A Countergravitational Alien Vagina". As opposed to Duke Nukem Forever, we guess. Florian Eckhardt

Prey 360 Patch Released; Sequel Confirmed? [1UP]

First, allow me an angry gibber. This website is so hideously constructed that in Firefox, the google ads overlap the text and the text runs out of the boxes, and having to actually click through the magazine and "pages" just reminds me of the bad old days when I actually had to touch paper. I am tempted to copy the entire article here, because it's good.

But for chrissake, catch the fuck up.

Anyway, this piece addresses the claim by Microsoft's Peter Moore that "...god forbid, even your mom will be [on the Xbox 360]." He turned out to be right, but perhaps only in the case of one Mrs. P, a mom who was foisted on the author's 360.

The conclusions are actually a little surprising to me. Her favorite game by far was "Condemned", which is in line with an earlier study claiming that women prefer immersive, story-given games that require problem-solving. But I would have figured the intense spookiness and violence of it would have put the lady off. I'm very pleased to read that she not only loved it, but got very good at it as well.

The biggest problem they encountered was the same as I've experienced with my own mother when introducing her to technology: she requires me to write down the steps that must be taken for every single task. She is at a loss to understand that once you've executed one program, you can execute them all. The control scheme is almost exactly the same from task to task, and opening Outlook is really the same as opening Firefox.

Mrs. P also has this problem, somehow unable to grasp that the dual analog controls for Prey were almost the same as the ones in Condemned, and had to start all over. I think this is the fault of generations of unintuitive controls being memorized by an insular game society. Perhaps the Wii will save us.

Even though the controls in Prey are similar to those found in Condemned, it was like starting all over again for her. It was difficult for her to get use to the initial movement controls, without swinging violently out of control and running off into the walls.

The final judgment was that the 360 has a long ways to go before mom would actually go out and buy one, but now I'm very tempted to run my own mother through the same gauntlet, perhaps on a different system. Hmm... Eliza Gauger

Warrior Woman [Primotech]

CNET has a bizarre little slideshow of the top-eleven vaporware titles, with the mysterious inclusion of those who are no longer vaporware (Prey is #3). I think someone is confused about the definition of "vaporware", despite the literal definition being pasted above the article itself.

Here're their complete picks:

1. Duke Nukem Forever
2. The Phantom Game Console
3. Prey
4. Starcraft Ghost
5. Sam and Max: Freelance Police (listed as cancelled...whuh?)
6. PlayStation 3 (say what?)
7. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (this is getting ridiculous)
8. Team Fortress 2 (jesus christ)
9. Fallout 3 (I actually hope this is true; I don't want to see Bethesda fuck my sunshine on this one)
10. Earthbound 64/Mother 3

In fact, I think the only actual vaporware items on that list are the Phantom, DNF, and maybe Fallout 3. Although the latter doesn't really count because it hasn't been cancelled or delayed; it's barely even been announced. Get the fuck out of my comic book shop, CNET. Eliza Gauger

See list here [CNET, not sure where I got this link]

Thanks to Tarik for sending in this video of proto-Prey. He seems astonished that Prey has been around for almost 10 years... the rest of us already knew it. But what's fascinating about the live demonstration of Prey by 3D Realms' Paul Schuytema is just how damn good it looks. There's no Dyson sphere, the weapons are completely different, but the game just looks stunning on a P266 with a Voodoo 2 card. Moreover, it demonstrates the exact same dynamic portal-dropping technology that Narbacular Drop and soon Portal have been showcasing.

What's somewhat depressing about this video is it really just shows that what could have been a revolutionary 1998 or 1999 title missed its time and eventually became a fun but ultimately disposable 2006 shooter. And we just wouldn't be very surprised if that's a sentence we can't reuse when Duke Nukem Forever rolls out. Florian Eckhardt

If you're excited for Valve's Portal and wish there was more Narbacular Drop in your Prey now, some intrepid 3D Realms forum modders have modded make-your-own-portals into the popular Human Head Studios game... a game which, as you might remember, accurately models what it might be like to be shrunk down to microscopic size and walk around inside of a woman's cervix. Florian Eckhardt

The Portal Wrench! [3D Realms Forums] (Thanks, Mike!)

Some Gamespot posters noticed that the "secret code" for a free music promo shoved into the Xbox 360 verison of Prey seems to spell out Prey Movie Screenplay Coming 2007.

The secret code is used to get a free game-related music download from Direct Song. The white card is titled Mystery Deal and the secret code is prymvyscrnplycmng2007.

There is, of course, a Prey entry at the Internet Movie Database, but that means next to nothing.I could see the game being turned into a movie, I just hope they change the name of the lead character, either that or give him a brother named Moe.

Calls into 2K Games have not yet been returned. I'll make sure to post a new item once I hear something from them. Brian Crecente

Prey Movie [GameSpot]

Gamer Cyblue got the highest score possible in the slot-like bar games in Prey for the Xbox 360. He scored a whopping $999,000,000. Repeat that in Vegas, Cyblue, and we'll really be impressed. Brian Ashcraft

Xbox 360 and PC FPS Prey isn't the only game we'll see this year dripping with vulva imagery. While Prey's oiled and shaved—and badly in need of a visit to the gyno—organic Dyson Sphere merely induces nausea, Dead Rising's colossal, inflatable rabbit honeypot just gives one a feeling of creepiness.

Clearly this is just an attempt by Capcom of Japan to sell a few more copies to the furry fetishist crowd, but we'd appreciate a little less polygonal sexual symbolism in our future games, please.

Thanks for the tip, Mike. Michael McWhertor

Female Private Parts In Prey [Kotaku]