Human Head Studios first unveiled a brand new game set in theRuneuniversein August 2017.At first, it was titledRune: Ragnarok,but that title changed about half a year later to justRune.The game made an appearance at E3 2018 and was actually poised to release via Steam Early Accesson September 18.Unfortunately, the Early Access release was pushed back indefinitely and the developers were quiet about the game outside of beta testing since. Today, it finally resurfaced; that being said, it is now sporting the titleRune IIand will be an Epic Games Store exclusive. Below, you can check out the new gameplay trailer published today:
While you may be peeved by the Epic Games Store exclusivity, it is worth noting thatRune IIlooks even better now than it didwhen we last saw it in 2018.That being said, it’s still poised to be the open world successor to the originalRunewith 4-player support that many are expecting. It is worth noting that Human Head Studios has confirmed thatRune IIwill be playable offline if multiplayer games aren’t your thing. You can see the improved graphics in the brand newRune IIscreenshots below:
Human Head has assured thatRune IIis coming along well in development, but the biggest thing looming over players' heads right now is the Epic Games Store exclusivity. Unlike some developers of Epic Game Store exclusives, Human Head’s CEO and Co-Founder Chris Rhinehart did take the time to explain the decision. Outside of Human Head’s history of working with Epic Games on the originalRune,Chris Rhinehart explains that:
“When we did beta testing last year, people were jumping in the game, playing the game and we got excellent feedback…We’re really taking it to heart. So, one of the things we realized is that we frankly needed more time on the game…We realized we needed more runway, more financial support to finish the game. We went out and talked to a number of potential partners, there were some really interesting offers, but honestly the one that we thought was best for the game was going with Epic and being on the Epic Games Store.
I know that may be a deal-breaker for some people. I know that there are some people that are really unhappy about that and I understand and I respect that. But this really was the best thing for the game.”
Overall, it seems that Human Head Studios was happy with Epic’s offer as they think it will makeRune IIbetter. The developers have opened up a page where players who pre-ordered the game on Steamcan get refunds.That being said, those who decide to keep their pre-order following this change will receive an extra copy of the game upon its launch.
If you want to see Human Head Studios' Chris Rhinehart explain the name change and Epic Games Store exclusivity in more detail, you should watch the aforementioned video below.Rune IIonly has a vague “Summer” release window, though we do know it will be an Epic Games Store exclusive when it launches for PC.
