Rune 2 is slated to launch fully in 2020 but that came with a few issues between the development studio and publisher. This conflict actually ended up with a lawsuit seeking $100 million along with the publisher demanding the assets for the game. Now the fight to keep the game afloat and provide more content post-launch is something publishers Ragnarok are hoping to win for fans of the series.
For those of you who are not aware, Human Head was a development studio that first got its start back in 1997 though the company closed its doors in 2019. They were responsible for the Rune series and was working on Rune 2 before they became defunct. While the company may not be around anymore, publishers Ragnarok went after the studio for quite a hefty sum of money.
Apparently, Ragnarok had a deal with Human Head Studios where the development team would be paid after hitting milestones of the game. Now claiming of delays and mismanagement, the milestones increased forcing Ragnarok to continue paying the studio. As the group came close to the end of development, Human Head surprisingly called it quits though the entire team was absorbed to Bethesda Softworks. Essentially, the development team was just renamed to Roundhouse Studios.
This surprise closure resulted in Ragnarok filing a lawsuit for $100 million in damages along with demands to the hard drives containing the source code and assets for Rune 2. While the lawsuit still is seemingly active against Human Head Studios, Ragnarok did receive the assets for the IP this month. We’re unsure if obtaining the assets will be enough to drop the lawsuit or if the $100 million in damages will be settled out of court.
