Arkane's Prey is largely unrelated to the 2006 game Prey developed by
Human Head Studios, and is considered a reimagining of the
intellectual property set in a new narrative. While
Prey 2, a sequel to the 2006 game, had been planned by Human Head, it fell into
development hell following transfer of the intellectual property from
3D Realms to
Bethesda Softworks, and was eventually cancelled in 2014. Arkane's game does not use any of the planned sequel's assets, and only incorporates the previous game's name and the broad theme of the protagonist being hunted by aliens. Arkane built
Prey as a
spiritual sequel to
System Shock, providing the player with several potential means of progressing within the game, while considering the
Talos I station a thematic reinterpretation of their underground dungeon of their first game,
Arx Fatalis.