Bethesda starting over on Prey 2?

Bethesda is starting over on Prey 2, with the long-awaited shooter now penciled in for a late 2016 debut, according to a source speaking with Kotaku.

Development on Prey 2 has reportedly shifted from Human Head Studios to Arkane Austin, the United States branch of the team behind Dishonored. All work that Human Head had completed on Prey 2 has been tossed out, with Arkane beginning anew, according to the source.

This move is reportedly not sitting well with all developers at Arkane Austin, the source said. However, management at the company is reportedly informing staffers that they should not think of the project as Prey 2, but rather a new System Shock.

A Bethesda representative told GameSpot, "We don't have any new info to share on Prey 2. We don't comment on rumors."

Last month, Bethesda parent company ZeniMax filed documents with the United States Patent & Trademark Office to extend its trademark for the Prey intellectual property. A company representative declined to comment on what this could mean for the future of the brand.

Prey 2 was officially announced in 2011, and a playable build of the game was shown off during the Electronic Entertainment Expo later in the year. The game was delayed in 2012 due to quality issues, and a Human Head developer said a year later that the game was in limbo.

Disclosure: GameSpot parent company CBS CEO Leslie Moonves is a ZeniMax Media board member.