Earlier today, GamesBeat reported that Rune II developer Human Head has shut down. The team is moving on to a new studio called Roundhouse as part of publisher Bethesda Softworks. That closure shrouded the future of Rune II with uncertainty. Now, Ragnarok Game LLC, the company that is publishing Rune II, is promising that it will continue to support the game, which debuted on Epic Games Store earlier this week. Additionally, Ragnarok insists that it had no idea that Human Head was shutting down.
“Yesterday, we successfully launched Rune II onto the Epic Games Store and the game’s demand has exceeded our expectations,” the Ragnarok team said in a statement. “First and foremost: We love this game, and we will continue to support Rune II.”
So Rune II’s viking action will live on. Ragnarok has a team of people working to ensure that it gets the updates it needs.
But as for the question of what is going on with Human Head, Ragnarok doesn’t have answers. It says that it had no forewarning.
June 5th: The AI Audit in NYC
Join us next week in NYC to engage with top executive leaders, delving into strategies for auditing AI models to ensure fairness, optimal performance, and ethical compliance across diverse organizations. Secure your attendance for this exclusive invite-only event.
“Today, developer Human Head Studios announced that it closed its doors and will be starting a new studio,” reads the Ragnarok statement. “This is shocking news to us, as there are several entities working on Rune II — we found out about this news when you did.”
Human Head had an agreement to support Rune II
Publisher Ragnarok Game did say that Human Head was supposed to work on Rune II for the foreseeable future. Clearly, the now-defunct company will no longer see that through.
“Human Head had a longstanding agreement with Rune II’s publisher, Ragnarok Game, LLC, to provide ongoing support for the game,” reads the Ragnarok statement. “We are working quickly to resolve any current technical issues while we build the team that will execute the exciting planned future of Rune II’s post-launch content strategy.”
It will take some time for Ragnarok Game to put that new team together, so it’s asking fans for patience. But it’s not abandoning the project.
“Our plan remains to continue working on Rune II and launch onto other PC platforms in 2020,” reads the statement. “We’re excited to show you the future of Rune II content.”
I’ve reached out to the former Human Head studio for a statement.
