Human Head Studios has been dropping hints of a Rune revival. Now that Prey 2 is likely pulled from the studio's slate, the company is being a little more overt about its hopes to bring back the franchise.

"I can't reveal what we've got planned, but we fully intend to bring digital viking mayhem into the here-and-now," Human Head co-founder Ted Halsted said.

Read more: 'We certainly wouldn't rule out Kickstarter' »

A sequel to the cult action game Rune may happen after all. So far we only have a few vague teases to go on, but that's at least a sign that developer Human Head is weighing the possibility.

Read more: Studio 'considering' a sequel »

Human Head Studios' Tim Gerritsen has posted this message on the Rune forums, mentioning that Rune sequel might happen. A lot depends on the success of Prey, but some fan support is needed as well. The forum post also offers a Human Head Studios history timelime. Thanks Blues.

If you really want a Rune 2, though, you need to tell it to the publishers. We want a Rune 2 some day. We've always said that. It is the pubs you need to convince. They see a game with a so so meta critic score and a devoted, but smallish audience and sales that were good but not great. Of course you and we know different. Rune was a major labor of love, and I believe firmly that anyone who actually plays the game for more than an hour can see that (after the water level and all those crabs in caves, of course...) Seriously, though. Make your voices known to the publishers. If we say, 'Rune has a truly fantastic following, even now, five years on' they just look at us like "Sure, five people, right?" If we show them forums, they just shrug. If this wonderful group of hard core, dedicated fans were to all shout at the publishers, however, that speaks volumens. If they know that people are stoked, that Rune really was an overlooked gem, and, most importantly, wallets would open at the sound of Rune II on a shelf, then they would listen.

The Human Head Studios website has been updated with the Rune game source code, "As a big thanks to the many Rune fans out there worldwide". You'll need Microsoft's C++ 6.0 to compile code using the provided headers. Thanks Blues News.

The official Rune website has been updated, offering a lenghty update about the future of the franchise. Though they are pleased with how Rune and Rune PS2 have turned out, their current projects do not include Rune 2. However, "We intend to revisit Rune, possibly after our current projects have been completed".

Human Head (Rune guys) sends word that they are looking to hire a level designer experienced with QERadiant and the Quake 3 engine. More info is available here. Human Head is also still looking to hire two game programmers.

The guys at Human Head Studios let us know that the Rune soundtrack is now available on CD. You can only order it online, and it costs $14.99. Availability is limited, as only a thousand CDs have been made.

HomeLAN Fed has posted an interview with the Rune co-op team. These guys are added co-op play to Human Head's 3rd person game, as if that wasn't obvious.

God Games has announced that Rune Gold is shipping today (screenshots). This edition of Rune combines the original game and the Halls of Valhalla multiplayer expansion. Rune Gold should be in stores for $19.99

A new version of the Rune co-op patch has been released. The 21.1mb update has new maps and extra teleporters in larger maps, and fixes some misc bugs.

Low Polygon Real-Time Modeling with 3D Studio Max is an article on RuneGame.com, showing how to create low-poly models with 3D Studio Max ;) Thanks Blues News. A skinning article as well as an article on importing the model into Rune is forthcoming.

I see on VE that the Rune site has 2 new maps for download for the game. AR-SlomoArena and AR-Lucid.

The AVault has learned that the Rune Gold version of the 3rd person game Rune, due August 20, will no longer include new content. Instead it will now just have the original game + the multiplayer expansion Halls of Valhalla. The PS2 version should ship pretty soon too.

For all the Linux readers (hey we have a few), Loki has released a 87.7mb demo of the Linux port of Rune. Details on this demo can be found in this readme file. Thanks Blues News.

The Rune website has news that the co-op mod for Rune has been released. This mod allows you to play through the singleplayer game with 4 players. It's a big mofo at 138mb, and unfortunately only available through Fileplanet. If you don't want to download it, it's available on CD for a fee as well.