Prey players have apparently discovered a save-corrupting bug in the PC version that renders the new sci-fi game unplayable. Those of us at Kotaku who are playing Prey haven’t run into this one, but you should be aware nonetheless.
The most high-profile report comes from IGN, whose reviewer enjoyed Prey but gave it a 4/10 because of the bug, which prevented him from completing the game. (Yes, this is yet another sign that review scores are arbitrary and meaningless, but that’s beside the point.) Writes reviewer Dan Stapleton:
Everything came to a screeching halt when, after 34 hours played, all my recent saves suddenly became corrupted, destroying five hours of progress. I grudgingly went back to the most recent working save, but soon ran into a different but equally awful problem: every time I tried to leave the cargo bay and load a new zone, Prey crashed to desktop. I contacted the developers for help, and Arkane provided me with a completely new save file around the same spot. But, after a few more hours of play, that save also became corrupted and crash-prone. That game-ending tragedy means I have to advise strongly against playing Prey on PC. Bethesda says they’re hoping for a fix by the end of the week, but there are no guarantees.
Some Prey players have also reported the bug on Steam forums, social media, and so on. Kotaku‘s Riley MacLeod and Kirk Hamilton are both playing on PC — Riley has finished, and Kirk is pretty far — and neither has run into anything like this. I’m playing on PS4 and have also had no problems with major bugs.
Bethesda has since issued a beta patch on Steam that the publisher says fixes this bug. (“Fix to prevent Save games from becoming corrupted. Fix also returns corrupted Save games to uncorrupted state.”)
If you’ve run into the bug and were able to fix it with this patch — or weren’t able to fix it with this patch — let us know.
Comments
8 responses to “Seemingly Rare Game-Breaking Bug Found In PC Version Of Prey”
Scores matter. Scores mean something. Leave them alone.
I can also read a review that doesn’t have a score attached to it because I see a place for both.
This is the sort of thing that takes away from Jason’s overall writing. He contradicts himself with this.
I rate this article 4/10. I had to reload my browser due to a display error whilst reading it.
That bug was patched before that review was released.
Elder Scrolls and Fallout games always have game breaking bugs at launch and consistently score 9 – 10, even when they definitely don’t deserve it *cough*Fallout 4*cough.
This reeks of sour grapes about Bethesda’s review policy, can’t take it out on big hitterswith big lucrative advertising budgets like Doom, Fallout and Elder Scrolls, so here we are.
I’m with you on fallout 4. One of my biggest gaming disappointments, I was so hyped after new Vegas and then… well you know.
I can’t believe how many people at butt-hurt about the IGN review score. (Yep, there’s really no more fitting term for it.)
They intentionally withheld copies so there’d be no reviews a launch. As a result it gets to the point where the game’s been out a week and the guy at IGN can’t even get through it after multiple attempts, a dozen hours wasted and with assistance from the developer.
Their readers are customers too- they’ve got to put out a review in a timely manner. You can’t just sit on a broken product for weeks waiting for someone to fix it so you can give it a decent score.
So it gets a 4. What do you expect the guy to do?
“I couldn’t finish it but I know you’re all very excited and want me to say it’s good. 8/10”?
Because that’s the other option. It’s either no review until the game is fixed, a good score for an unfinished game or a 4/10.
Maybe next time they’ll send out copies a fortnight earlier and use a review embargo like everyone else. That way they could have given him as long as they needed to sort the issues out.
That said, I do wonder if the score is a bit of a get-square for withholding review copies. I certainly enjoyed the comeuppance.
Gamebreaking bugs shouldn’t be tolerated and yes they should be mentioned in the review, but this borderline never happens with big name franchises that deserve a good savaging. It seems gaming journos only see the issues when it suits them.
Bethesda’s QA is garbage and unfortunately Arkane will end up suffering for it, which is a shame because I don’t want this kind of game going away. Deus Ex is gone, Dishonored didn’t sell well and it looks like Prey isn’t going well either.
Great game though, loving it.
Pretty much agree. This should have come up during play testing, it’s not acceptable.
And on top of that, reviewers are given a tiny window to do their jobs because reasons.
Double post. Sorry.
Why are you blacklisted again?
Fallout 4 leaks from what I remember. Word was getting out long before it was announced. Boston setting and a few details.
Playing on PS4 and have had this bug multiple times now. Game crashes at certain points and then corrupts the last 1 or 2 save files. Surely this is what testing is for so you do not release a game with this issue?