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Rune 2 publisher found out Human Head Studios was shut when everyone else did

"This is shocking news to us."

Rune 2 publisher Ragnarok has said it was shocked to discover developer Human Head Studios had shut down - and heard the news at the same time as everyone else.

Fallout and Skyrim publisher Bethesda announced yesterday it had acquired the Human Head Studios staff, which would now operate under new company name Roundhouse Studios. After 22 years, the Wisconsin-based entity known as Human Head was shuttered.

This all came a day after Rune 2, Human Head's last game, was published.

"This is shocking news to us," Rune 2 publisher Ragnarok wrote on the game's official forum, "as there are several entities working on Rune 2 - we found out about this news when you did.

"Human Head had a longstanding agreement with Rune 2's publisher, Ragnarok Game, LLC, to provide ongoing support for the game. We are working quickly to resolve any current technical issues while we build the team that will execute the exciting planned future of Rune 2's post-launch content strategy. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work through any launch issues."

In a statement published to the Human Head Studios blog yesterday, the developer blamed "economic realities" for its closure as an independent studio.

It's unknown what Bethesda will have the Human Head staff working on next, though the studio remained best known for creating Prey, a franchise Bethesda now owns.

Rune 2, meanwhile, is still slated for launch on other PC platforms (it is currently an Epic Game Store exclusive) in 2020.

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